The World Of The Living Dead
by Alex McM
Summary: Sequel to Dead are Undead. Alice and Karin are left with no-where to run so they head back into the heart of the apocalpse to meet their doom. Mayuri's nefarious plan to create the 'Ultimate being' goes horribly wrong. Strong horror & violence. Beware!
1. Prologue

**World Of The Living Dead**

The long awaited sequel is here! There will be more zombies, more blood, more gore, more nightmarish violence! Prepare yourself for a white-knuckle ride into Hell and back! Remember to review, your support is what keeps these stories alive. Now without further ado, here it is...Enjoy!

**Prologue**

Exerpt from a young girl's diary: Dated February 9th

_Mum and dad have been watching the news a lot lately. I try to watch with them but they send me away. It must be serious. They're still watching it right now...Well, at least dad is. Mum was bitten by a dog yesterday. Dad seemed very upset about it but I don't see why? It was just a dog._

_Mum has been in bed all day. Dad says she is very weak and I should not disturb her. I went to check up on her today and she looked very pale. I asked her if she was alright but she didn't answer me. Maybe she was asleep, but her eyes were wide open..._

_Anyway, I think daddy is calling me now._

_February 10th _

_Daddy is insane! He shot mum! He shot her! I've been hiding ever since. I can't let him find me or he might hurt me too! Why did he kill her? She was just sleeping! _

_I hear something outside the cupboard...I think it's Rex, our puppy. He sounds angry. He doesn't usually growl like that...Maybe he's scared too. I'll keep him company!_

_I'll open the door and let him in._

The rest of the page was splattered in dark, dried blood. It's a safe bet that there were no more entries after that. This was one of the many items found upon scouring the corpse-ridden hell-hole that had become of a once quiet town.

Karakura was once a thriving place. It was growing into a great city. The people were happy. But then...An unfortunate news story changed everything...

Reports of the dead rising to walk among the living once again. Many treated it as a joke, but more and more stories arose. It became the only thing on the news within a day. The US was getting evacuated to escape the threat, but failed quarantine allowed the virus to spread.

Just one infected victim was on-board a flight to Tokyo. Within a few hours, not far from Tokyo airport, the infection spread throughout the passengers. The plane lost control and crash landed near the Onose river in Karakura Town.

The citizens though of it as just a plane crash, but soon it was apparent there was more to it than that. The infected were rushed to hospital where the virus spread amongst the patiens and soon into the highly populated town. It took one day for everything to turn on it's head. Thousands were dead, thousands more were undead.

Those who tried to fight for their lives usually failed. One such group consisted of a group of teenagers from the local highschool and some of the rescued Americans. They formed a shaky alliance and tried to escape, holing themselves up within the school, fortifying it as best they could. Their efforts were in vain as slowly their numbers dwindled to the point where only two of the group remained alive.

Those two were Alice, a resident of Raccoon city, the site of the outbreak and Karin Kurosaki, an eleven year old girl from Karakura. Both were rescued from certain death, their friends and family long gone.

They were taken to a remote refuge camp where other survivors were taking residence. It was not long until the undead hordes spread across the country and discovered the large gathering of fresh meat. They descended on them and the nightmare began again.

The fight for their lives had recommenced.

Meanwhile, in another world the souls of the deceased were experiencing a similar outbreak. The virus had mutated to make the matter of disposal even more difficult. The mutation caused the undead to be immune to soul-based weapons. Armed with the most primitive of weapons the defenders of the afterlife, Shinigami, waged their war for survival against the undead.

Both worlds suffered heavy losses and it seemed that there was no hope of victory, but the shinigami managed to turn the tables on their lifeless foes. They survived their battle. Meanwhile, on Earth the war still rages, corpses still rising from their shallow graves and attacking the living.

With many still dying and the situation growing far out of control, Soul Society turns it's main focus on the crisis in the world of the living.

The battle between the living and the dead had only just begun...


	2. Blood Red Sunrise

**Blood-Red Sunrise**

The smell of fresh blood in the morning. A lingering scent of death that wafted in on the crisp breeze.

The curtains of the small hut billowed as the wind picked up. Alice rose from her simple bed and shut the window, but the smell was something she could not help but notice. The memories of a nightmare not yet forgotten, stirred by this unusual odour.

"What's wrong?" Karin stumbled into the room, rubbing her eyes. "You look distressed."

Alice was about to respond when a high pitched whine cut her off. It was an alarm. Both girls ran out of their hut and into the open air. Others were piling out into the streets, casting their gazes to the large force outside the gate. It seemed that the entire military had gathered and built up their defences.

"What's going on?" Karin asked fearfully.

Alice couldn't answer. The word got caught on her tongue and refused to roll off.

"It's them!" A soldier roared as he led a small team towards a rear fence. They brushed past Alice and almost knocked Karin to the ground. The people were scurrying about like ants when the hive is sprayed by a hose. It was utter chaos.

Alice climbed up onto the roof of their hut and helped her young companion up beside her. From there they watched as the surging black mass on the horizon marched closer and closer. Tanks and foot-soldiers headed out to meet them. A great battle was looming ahead...But there had been enough battles already.

All Alice wanted to do was rest and try to forget what had happened. The faces of her fallen friends were still too clear in her mind. The scars of battles past still bled. In the back of her mind she knew the nightmare had not ended yet, but she never thought it would be this soon. She was getting thrust into battle already and it had barely been a fortnight.

"We should be safe as long the military hold them off." Alice whispered calmly. Despite her stoic facade, she was squeezing Karin's hand as hard as she could. She was afraid, an emotion she faced so much yet still wasn't accustomed to.

"Open fire!" A soldier's roar drifted over the battlefield and reached those fearfully observing the fighting.

On that command the brilliant glow of combined muzzle flashes created a blinding light. The deafening boom of gunfire was like a sinister song of war. Fires spread around the place and the mass of the undead began to scatter around the frontline. Death was rife, but that was to be expected.

It seemed that the living forces were gaining the upper hand, but that was only on the front flank. The other flanks of the fortified camp were understaffed due to the main force and so the oncoming ghouls soon found an easier way to get at the defenceless meat.

The agonised screams of a small band of soldiers was warning enough for Karin and Alice. The two of them leapt down from the hut and searched for an escape.

The chaotic rush of the other survivors was beyond imagination. In their frenzy to cram into buses and trucks the people were fighting against each other. A small girl was stomped into the dirt as she neared the rear cabin of a large truck. The assailant trod over her and took her place on the vehicle, riding away without the vaguest remorse.

An elderly man was robbed of his cane and then bludgeoned with it, just to prevent him from taking the last seat on a bus.

Karin and Alice both glanced down at each other and shook their heads. There was no way they would even attempt to escape. Even the helipad was a swarming mass of terrified people, the same brutal violence occurring there.

The deep rumble of engines made the earth shake and harsh breezes were swept up by the numerous choppers taking off.

The soldiers still tried to fight for their lives, doing as they were trained to do, but soon the main force was surrounded and their fates were sealed.

Meanwhile, in the camp Alice and Karin were left alone, trapped in a war-zone. A young soldier fell at their feet, savagely lacerated by the unnaturally sharp claws of yet another ghoul. Alice lashed out at the bloodthirsty creature and kicked it into a wall. While it was down she snatched the rifle out of the dead soldier's hands. She put a bullet through the man's head and then shot down the ghoul.

Karin took a pistol out of the soldier's holster and joined Alice, standing side by side in the eye of an undead storm.

"We're doomed aren't we?"

"It sure looks like it." Alice replied. "I guess we'll be seeing your brother in the afterlife now..."

Karin pondered that thought for a moment then shook her head. "Nah! Let's give these guys a taste of Hell. We'll go down fighting...Just like Ichigo..."

Alice shook her head and then asked her spirited little companion, "Ready?"

"Ready!" Karin pointed the barrel at one of the closest of the zombies. She was thrown by the recoil but steadied herself in time to watch the beast go down, the bullet clipping it just below the left eye. A spurt of thick blood sprayed out and the ghoul dropped silently.

Both girls screamed bloody murder as they unleashed their fury against the undead horde. The shambling corpses stopped dead in their tracks, their front lines crumbling to the enemy. They were blind to the suicidal notion of advance and resumed to do so.

The two fierce females seemed to hold their ground for some time but when both needed to reload there was a problem. They frantically rifled through the deceased soldier's pockets in search of ammunition. All the while the zombies shuffled closer and closer.

Alice slammed a fresh clip into her rifle and mowed down those closest to her, quickly emptying it again. She cleared a wide enough gap for her to search some more and while she did Karin held up their thin defences. Half her shots went wide or didn't hit vital areas, but she fought on fiercely, determined not to die here.

"Karin, we need to get out of here! We'll climb over the hut and search for some more weapons. Hurry!"

Karin did as told and clambered up the wooden fence and then used it to climb up to the roof. Alice hurled a belt of ammunition to her and then a few spare clips. She reached out to climb the fence but clammy, pale hands reached out for her. She lashed out with her foot, kicking the closest zombie and causing him to collapse back into those behind him, creating a domino effect.

The rest of the ghouls just crawled over their fallen brethren, their minds only accustomed to one thought; hunger. No matter what happened to them or those around them, the insatiable thirst for blood would drive them beyond the impossible.

Alice scrambled up the fence and made her way to the roof of the hut, dragging herself out of the way just as more hands extended to bring her down.

The ghouls moaned soullessly, their vacant eyes staring at everything and nothing at once. Their eroded faces were a sight that even now still instilled fear within Alice's heart. Even after surviving the initial battles, the sight of these humans-turned-beasts repulsed her to the core.

"Alice, let's go!" Karin tugged at her friend's sleeve.

Alice shook her head and removed herself from the hypnotic dance of the dead. Their slow, agonized swaying was oddly fascinating.

The two survivors hopped down on the other side of the thin wooden barrier and searched inside some of the huts. They found little of use. There were small weapons like knives and clubs but nothing they could salvage. They found scraps of food and put them in a travel bag. Alice found some large bottles of water and put them in as well. After searching a whole street they only found food. Weapons and a method of escape were still on the checklist.

"We need weapons. One way or another we are going to have to fight our way out of here..." Alice studied the empty streets as if a weapons cache would be left in plain sight. Unfortunately it was not so obvious.

"What about the barracks?" Karin suggested.

Alice's eyes narrowed and she suddenly lunged at the young girl, only to hug her. "You're a genius!" Alice exclaimed. "Where is it?"

Karin thought for a moment. "Um...If I remember correctly it's down this road, near the town hall."

The two jogged off down the wide road and soon came to a crossroads. Their path was blocked by an upturned truck. Flames lapped away at the skeletal frame of the vehicle. Charred corpses reached out for salvation, their fleshless lips curled up in eternal screams. At least they died as humans...

Alice led her young friend around a backstreet and they manoeuvred around the closely placed huts until they were back on the main road. The town hall was in plain sight now, but so was a large mob of uninvited guests.

"Shit!" Alice ducked behind an abandoned fruit cart and signalled for Karin to do the same. They poked their heads out and observed the undead as they gathered around the large building.

"The barracks is past there...But how will we get there?"

Alice frowned. "Fighting them would be suicide..."

"But there is no other way around..." Karin mumbled.

The two sat there in silence for a whole minute, the only noises were the mournful howls of the dead. They glanced at each other with sombre expressions. They knew full well the only strategy to take. They nodded knowingly and then rose to their feet.

"Alright. We can't fight them, but we can scatter them. If we make a path we can make a run for it. As far as I know, these things can't run." Alice loaded a magazine into her rifle. "Stay close to me and don't try anything silly."

"Understood. Let's just get through them as fast as we can!"

Alice took a deep breath and then dashed forwards. Karin ran alongside her, pushing herself to keep up with Alice's strong sprint. Alice leapt into the air and spun in a half circle before swinging her leg out, performing a flying back kick which knocked down a wide groups of them. Karin hopped over them and followed close behind as Alice used her rifle as a club, crushing skulls and breaking bones. When there was more space she unleashed short bursts of gunfire to further scatter them.

Their path was thin but it was a path nonetheless. Karin whimpered as the road behind them quickly closed back up and the undead surrounded them.

"Keep moving forward!" Alice screamed. "Don't look back! Just focus on getting out of here!"

Karin took a deep breath and charged up behind her friend, shoulder charging a ghoul and knocking him to the ground. She leapt over him but the beast grabbed her ankle and she tripped, falling face first on the ground. She made a short alarmed cry before the wind was knocked out of her.

Alice didn't register it at first but soon noticed the disturbing absence of Karin's fearful panting. She whirled around only to stare death in the face. She gasped and backhanded the hideous ghoul. It remained on its feet so she jammed the butt of the rifle into its nose. The monster's face caved in and dark blood spurted out from its eyes, mouth and nose.

"AAAGH!" Karin's cries came in clear over the moans and groans of the zombies.

"Karin!" Alice thrust her elbow into a zombie's jaw and then drove her knee into it's sternum, cracking ribs with the force. She rolled under the legs of a few hungry ghouls and then swung her legs in a sweeping motion, knocking them all flat on their backs. They writhed about like turtles and she bolted past them until she was at Karin's side.

The terrified girl was kicking frantically at the snapping jaws of a legless ghoul. She crawled backwards, only to find herself in the arms of a zombie behind her. She shrieked as its flaky-skinned arms wrapped around her and locked her into a deadly bear hug. The stale breath passed over the nape of her neck and she broke down into a fit of hysterical tears.

The ghoul spread its jaws open wide and its teeth hovered over her bare neck, anticipating the taste of fresh meat. Thankfully the meal was interrupted as Alice smashed her heel through the top of its skull, making pulp out of its brain. It flopped back worthlessly and Karin was released fro his grip.

The two had a brief reunion while the ghouls were re-gaining their ground. Karin clung to Alice and sobbed. Alice kept one arm around her companion and the other holding the rifle, firing controlled bursts to keep the horde back.

They slowly progressed, eventually returning to the previous spot before the split. Alice pushed on, doing all the work while Karin tried to remain as calm as she could. They eventually reached a fence where a loose paling stood out. Alice jogged over to it and lifted the large piece of timber. She tapped Karin on the shoulder and whispered in her ear.

"I'll go ahead and knock them down. Run after me and don't stop. Even if I fall just keep going okay. I'll look after myself. Just get to the barracks and survive, no matter what!"

Karin smiled weakly. "That's...That's something Ichigo would say..."

The two of them shared smiles before facing the oncoming enemy. With a mighty roar, Alice charged, using the paling as a battering ram, slamming it into the ghouls, aiming for their vital points. Karin bolted after her and kept pace with her friend. They made it to the fringe of the crowd when the paling snapped in half.

For a moment it seemed like a disaster, but Karin managed to take out her pistol and fired wildly into the thin wall of ghouls, making enough room for them to barge out into the open.

They made it past the group and began weaving around the stragglers. They picked off a few who came too close but refrained from wasting ammunition, instead using their weapons as clubs.

It was a short trip to the barracks and it was relatively deserted when they got there. Only a scattered bunch of ghouls wandered around outside but they were easily dispatched. Alice and Karin ran inside and locked the door behind them.

Inside they found a stockpile of weapons as well as other military equipment...Including a parked military vehicle. The armoured car was in perfect condition and one door hung open. The driver was slumped over in his seat. A gun was in one hand, a family photograph in the other.

"Did he..." Karin whimpered.

"Yes. Even for a soldier, this past month has been a true nightmare. For some it is too much to bear. But we won't succumb. We will fight on until the very end! We will survive to see the dawn of a new day, I swear it! For Ichigo's sake...for everyone's sake, we will survive!"

Karin nodded sombrely and stepped back while Alice dumped the corpse behind an ammunition crate. They then packed weapons and ammo in the back cabin of the car. When they were fully packed Alice hopped into the driver's seat and d up the engine.

"Open the door! Let's get the hell out of here!"

Karin did as instructed and pushed the garage door open. She then ran back to the car and slid into the passenger's seat.

The car lurched forward with a sudden surge of power. Alice almost lost control before they even cleared the garage but she soon got the hang of the vehicle and they sped through the streets until they found the broken down gates of the town. They were in ruins now. A car had crashed into the gate and caused one half to fall down. The other swung open and bent awkwardly.

They drove over the battle-zone, passing dying soldiers who waited for death to claim them before the ghouls picked them off.

Empty tanks and jeeps remained frozen in their tracks, their drivers' dead or worse. Undead soldiers mixed in amongst their former enemies, now joining their accursed ranks.

Their home had become a living hell. It was fully apparent now, there was no safe haven. There was no paradise. There was no escape...

All that awaited them was death. They could only run from it for so long. It was inevitable. The best they could do was find somewhere nice and cosy to wait for the zombies to surround them and claim their lives like everyone else.

"So...Where to now?" Alice inquired.

"I want to go back home." Karin whispered.

"Home? You mean Karakura?" Karin nodded. "Why? That place is fully over-run!"

"I know we're doomed. No matter where we run we'll be found by those things. I just want to go back home...That way I can die alongside my friends...And my family." Karin stared down at the floor.

"Hmm, you're right. Everywhere is plagued with the undead...We can't escape them, we might as well hole up somewhere comfy and wait for the final storm..." Alice turned the car onto a wide road and studied the rusted sign which barely stood up by the side of the road. It read: 'Welcome to Karakura Town.'

Alice couldn't help but think to herself:

_Welcome...To Hell..._

Please review. 


	3. Welcome Home

Sorry for the wait. Here's the next chapter! Enjoy and review!

**Welcome Home**

Mayuri Kurotsuchi hovered over the keyboard, his fingers stabbing hyperactively at the keys, his wide, unblinking eyes darting to and fro, taking in the scrambled codes rolling across the screen. He resumed his strange ritual, unaware of his guest who stood behind him, watching in silent awe.

"Not even a knock? How rude." Mayuri rasped.

Ukitake frowned. "I'm sorry, but I was in a hurry. In my haste I forgot such a simple courtesy."

"You mustn't be in much of a hurry if you had the time to spy on me like a hawk. What is it you really want...Captain Commander?"

"Ah, yes. Well it has been brought to my attention that you are still working on a cure for the virus. I was hoping to receive a progress report."

"It is still early days. I have not made any breakthroughs yet." Mayuri responded coldly, not looking away from the screen for even the briefest second.

Ukitake coughed. He took a deep breath and then resumed speaking. "The situation seems to be taking a turn for the worse. Although we have the situation within Sereitei under control Rukongai is still very much a battleground. We have sentry units on patrol night and day to ensure we don't have any more break-in's but still..."

"What of the World of the Living?" Mayuri inquired, a sinister smile spreading across his painted face.

"From what Byakuya told me it is worse than any of us could have imagined. The death toll has become unimaginably large and whole continents have been wiped out. Kurosaki Ichigo, Rukia Kuchiki and the entire relief team have fallen in battle. Karakura town has been utterly destroyed. The surrounding towns are facing similar situations and the virus has spread throughout the entire country of Japan. It is feared that the few survivors will not last more than a week."

"Terrible." Mayuri muttered forcibly. His smile did not falter, even at the grim news. "If only someone could take care of those bothersome ghouls..."

Ukitake's eyes narrowed. "Are you...Do you have a way to combat them?"

Mayuri chuckled insanely. "Of course not! I am trying to find a cure, not a method of execution!" He laughed some more before letting out a long sigh. "You are a funny man Ukitake."

"Uh...Sure. Well, remember to inform me of any progress."

"Certainly Captain Commander. Is that all?" When Mayuri finally pried his eyes away from the screen his guest was gone. He glanced around cautiously before pressing a button on the far wall. A small section of the floor opened up and revealed a set of stairs. He stumbled down them and entered his secret lab.

The room was almost bare aside from the two large canisters that rested against the wall. Beside them was a bucket of meat scraps and a table littered with equipment.

Mayuri approached one of the large tanks and placed a hand against the chilled glass. A decaying, pale hand pressed up against the inside of the glass in imitation of him. A mangled face stared at him with blank white eyes, tiny pin-prick pupils lazily rolling about. The monstrous creature opened its mouth in a silent groan and began clawing sluggishly at the glass.

Mayuri pressed another button and the tanks were drained of their fluid before the seals were broken with a loud hiss. The glass chamber walls descended into the floor and the two occupants of the tanks tripped on their own feet and landed in a heap on the floor.

They had been suspended in the fluid for so long they had forgotten how to stand. Soon they would remember but in their current state they were still quite slow. Nonetheless, Mayuri was proud of his 'pets'. They were more advanced than the wretched zombies that plagued Earth.

"Good morning Adam. Good morning Eve."

The two ghouls waved, their arms moving slowly and awkwardly.

"Your new world awaits you...Do you wish to see it?"

* * *

Karakura lay just beyond the empty stretch of highway. Karin and Alice could both shuddered. They were returning to what had become the mass grave for all of their friends and family, a desolate hell inhabited by nothing more than rotting corpses, not all of them resting...

"So...This is home..." Karin whispered under her breath, stunned. The town she had grown up in was no longer recognisable. This was a wasteland, not a bustling little town. The life and spirit she had grown to love were now like distant dreams, overshadowed by the apocalypse.

"It's changed so much..." In just one week the ruins had begun to settle. The endless hordes of zombies which choked the streets were on longer present. The fires that burned as far as the eye could see were beginning to die out, now merely trails of smoke drifting up to the clouds. Ruined buildings had rotted away, their skeletal frames left to rot in the moist breeze carried over from the river.

As they entered the town they noticed the numbers of the undead rise. Although there were considerably less of them since their last visit, the shambling armies of the recently undead were still a threat.

A detour around the scenic route turned out to be a dreadful mistake. Mutilated bodies littered the gutters, their fetid rivers of blood overflowing the drains. Clouds of flies and vultures hovered over the piles of bodies.

The Onose River was no longer the sparkling stream it once was. The thick smoke had settled on the surface giving it a dull grey coating and what little shine was emitted was overpowered by the darkness and shadows.

Further along they found a small hut hastily built out of recycled rubble. A door made of fence palings was kicked open and a burly man who shouted at the other members of the house. Four more people scurried out, dirty, dust covered survivors, their tattered clothes stained in blood and other messes.

"There are survivors? I thought this place was sweeped clean?" Alice veered over to the side of the road and stopped the car. She stepped out and waved to the survivors who ran to her and began making excited greetings.

"Welcome! Welcome! You are the first humans we've seen for the past three days! Please keep us company for a while." The large man was almost begging.

Karin rolled her eyes and shrugged. "We're not doing anything important. I guess we could stay for a while."

A young girl, coated in grime skipped up beside her new friend and gave a beaming smile. "Hi! I'm Eliza. I came here from America."

"I'm Karin. I used to live here..."

"Do you want to be friends?" Eliza asked abruptly.

"Huh?" Karin was taken aback. She was hesitant to make a new friend, knowing full well that the chaos could very well shatter their weak bond in no time. The young girl wore a betrayed expression and the corners of her eyes welled up with tears but Karin quickly put her fears to rest. "Alright, alright! Don't cry!"

"Thanks. I haven't had a friend for a while now...They were all left behind in America." Eliza averted her gaze and trailed off, bringing up her past had broken past scars and made them bleed again.

Meanwhile, Alice was speaking with the four adults. The large man called himself Kirk. His wife was Betty. Their oldest son's name was Jake. Their neighbour introduced himself Tim. They were all from America, just like her. Escaping the original outbreak, only to find the same horrors had followed them to their safe haven.

"We've been creating strongholds all around the city." Kirk explained. "We move every two days to prevent being found. We have others staying in our other strongholds and eventually we cycle around. If you're planning on staying here you should stay with us."

Alice smiled politely but shook her head. "It is kind of you to offer, but we came here for a reason. We shall face our destiny and let nature decide our fate. We are tired of running. We will hold up within one last place and fight until the nightmare ends...Or we are sent to the afterlife to join our friends..."

Betty wiped a tear from her eyes. It created a clean trail through her dusty cheeks. She was middle aged, a plain woman with short brown hair. She wore what used to be a blue dress but was now a hideous shade of reddish brown. Her arms and legs were covered in nasty cuts and grazes and bruises, no doubt battle scars from their vicious struggle for survival.

"You have a good plan...If only I wasn't so afraid of death I would have done so as well. Unfortunately, our life shall remain like this, running and fighting endlessly..." She stared at the ground and did not look up again for some time.

"Well, we should get back to our feast. You are welcome to have some; you must be starving from your trip." Kirk led them inside and sat the two guests at one end of their flimsy wooden table. One leg was merely a golf club jammed into the broken socket and taped up with a whole roll of duct tape. "It's not a palace, but make yourselves comfy."

Alice giggled as she settled into one of the padded chairs. Half of the stuffing was removed but it was still a welcome relief for her aching back.

"So, how was the refuge camp? I hear they are lovely."

"Yes, but...the camp was over-run. We had to flee." Alice replied mournfully.

"Oh." Kirk looked down at his meal, a small roast dinner made sparingly with rations.

"We're all doomed." Jake snarled. "Each and every one of us is just prolonging the inevitable. We'll all be just food for those things soon enough!"

"Now son, don't be like that. We can make it through this-"

"You're deluding yourself! You saw it with your own eyes. Those monsters killed everyone! They've forced us to live like rats! The world is over and soon our lives will be too!"

"Jake! We have company!"

"Who cares? She's just as doomed as us!" Jake roared.

Alice and Karin both glanced at each other, uneasy glances abound.

Kirk rose from his seat and smiled. "I'm sorry for this. Why don't you go have some rest? We'll sort him out."

Both girls rushed out of the room and found beds already prepared for them. They laid down and stared at the ceiling while listening to the muffled argument between the survivors.

"This is crazy. Let's just slip out while they are yelling." Karin suggested.

"No." Alice raised a finger to her lips. "We can ask them to show us their strongholds. If we know the safe zones we can use it to our advantage."

"What? I thought we were just going to make a final stand and die with pride?"

"Well, I'd rather put up the greatest fight of my life before submitting to those ghouls. I know you want to meet your family on the other side, but we have to think rationally about this. Would Ichigo want you just laying down and surrendering to these mindless creatures?"

Karin frowned. "No..."

"Exactly. Ichigo might want you to go down in a blaze of glory...But I think he'd rather see you survive this ordeal instead. So how about we beat these stupid zombies and avenge the fallen! We'll get even with them and make sure they don't put anymore people through the nightmare we've faced. We'll end it all! Together!"

Karin hesitated but eventually took Alice's hand. "Together."

Their moment was ruined when Jake burst into the room with a butcher knife. He roared insanely and lunged at them, foam spilling down his chin, his eyes wide.

"Watch out!" Alice cried as she pushed her younger companion out of harms way. She then thrust her leg into the crazed boy's gut. He doubled over and dropped the knife. Alice then axe kicked the top of his skull and knocked him to the floor.

Kirk and Betty ran in and restrained their son. While Kirk hauled their psychopathic son out of the room Betty apologised to them.

"I'm so sorry. This disaster has affected him severely. You see, Jake has ADHD. It's always been a problem but with these recent events his condition has begun to decline. It's a terrible thing to watch your own flesh and blood turn into a monster...My son will soon be no better than those mindless, rotting corpses outside..."

"How awful." Karin whispered.

Betty sighed. "Anyway, I hope his little episode hasn't put you off staying here. The streets are not safe at this hour, so why don't you get some sleep."

Karin and Alice shared uneasy glances. "It's only one night. We'll be fine, I promise."

Karin crossed her arms. "I doubt I'll last another ten minutes here."

"Look, I know it seems bad, but trust me on this one. We are safe in the hands of other survivors. They might be a little odd, but they are just human beings. They mean us no harm. They want to protect others as much as we do."

Karin mumbled a curse under her breath. "Fine! But as soon as we wake up tomorrow we're getting out of this hole!"

Alice stifled a scream and Karin whirled around to see Betty standing in the doorway with a serving tray. She smiled and chuckled. "Oh, don't worry. I know this place is not the best of homes. A young girl like you just isn't used to living in such conditions. I think the kids must suffer the most in times like this. Their world is changed far more than we could possibly imagine."

Karin shuddered. There was something off-putting about this whole place but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Here." Betty laid down the tray. There were two glasses of water. "You need to keep hydrated, especially if you're going to be travelling in the morning." Betty stepped back and watched the two of them gulp down the water.

The both of them were dying of thirst and the drink was a godsend for them, but the water had a strange after-taste to it...

"Sweet dreams angels." Betty said in an awkwardly aggressive tone. Her smile looked downright disgusting, so vicious and out of place that it should have been laughable, but neither girls could laugh...Or move...Or breathe.

Alice's eyes widened as she realised what was going on.

_We've been drugged? But why? I thought we were allies?_ _Dammit...So tired...Must...Sleep..._

It seems that the kind family have a darker side...Will Alice and Karin survive to avenge their friends? Find out in the next chapter!

Now review. Seriously, do it. DO IT!


	4. Abominable Reunion

**Abominable Reunion**

Alice gasped for air as her body began to shut down. She grasped at her throat and made strangled wheezing sounds as invisible hands squeezed the air out of her.

Karin was rolling about on the ground crying out for aid that would never come.

Betty watched the two girls as the drugs took effect. It was a pointless struggle and soon the two of them were forced into a sound sleep. "They sleep like angels..." She cooed softly before walking out of the room.

Kirk was waiting in the doorway, his eyes flickering with frenzied excitement. "We can do it this time...We'll achieve our goal and save this world from damnation!"

Betty smiled viciously, a monstrous expression that wasn't suited to her kind gentle face. "Let us save humanity."

Kirk rubbed his hands together and approached the girls. Tim entered the room behind him, licking his lips as if a grand feast were laid out before him.

Alice fought against the drug. She was too determined to die in such a squalid place, to fall at the hands of her own kind. She concentrated as hard as she could on opening her eyes. It was a slow, irritating ordeal but she managed to pry them apart for a split second. The light that spilled in through the tiny slit was like the rays of the sun and they made her blink several times.

Slowly, her senses began to return. She could smell terribly body odour, it was almost suffocating. There were unmistakeable sounds of laughter and worst of all; she could feel something brushing against her cheek.

Her eyes shot open and she stared at Kirk who was leaning over her on all fours. "Morning sweetie. You're up early." He said in a mocking way.

"What are you doing? Why did you try to drug us?"

Kirk pinned Alice down and his lips spread apart to reveal his rotting yellow teeth. "So many people have died from this outbreak. So many lives have ended; so many more are doomed to face their fate. But I won't let humanity fall."

"What?" Alice grunted, trying to push the brute off of her.

"You see, Betty and I have been trying for years to have kids, but the doctors say she just can't do it anymore...No matter how hard we tried, we couldn't make a new little boy or girl to carry on our name...But you, you're young and pretty. You are ripe."

Alice felt bile rising in her throat. She finally understood what he wanted.

"Honey, you and I are going to re-populate the earth!" Kirk began to drool.

"Ew, you fucking monster!" Alice used all of her limited strength to try and move him but he barely budged.

"Sorry, but even if you ain't sleeping like a log, your muscles are under-active. You could barely lift a finger even if you tried!" Kirk leaned in closer. "Now where were we?"

Alice squirmed helplessly under him. She couldn't push him off. She had to find another way to stop him.

"Where were we?" She asked sarcastically. "Right...About...Here!" Alice jerked her head up and bashed her skull against Kirk's forehead. He reeled from the hit and sat up straight. Alice rolled off of the bed and landed on the floor. She struggled to stand, her knees weak from the poison.

"You bitch! That hurt!"

Alice leaned against the wall and pushed herself up until she was standing, nearly doubled over, but at least on her feet. She looked around for a weapon but found none, though her distracted state allowed her to be caught by someone else. Thick arms snaked under her arms and crossed over around her neck, trapping her.

"Good work Tim!" Kirk flexed his fingers and started stalking his prey.

Alice writhed about hopelessly, once again too weak to struggle out of their grip. She kicked at Tim's knees and shins but he did not move, her kicks as weak as those from a new-born baby.

"Dammit! Get off of me!" Alice screamed, yanking her heel up behind her and striking Tim's crotch. He stumbled backwards and head butted the wall before crumbling to the floor.

"Argh! I'll kill you!" Tim groaned through gritted teeth.

Kirk bolted for her, a one-man stampede that would no doubt take her down with ease. As he neared her Alice dove to the side and struck her leg out to trip him over. Kirk's face crashed to the floor with a heavy thud.

Alice crawled away and clambered back on her feet. She limped over to Karin and tried to shake her awake. The younger girl was completely unconscious. She was out cold. That made escape no longer an option. She had to somehow defeat the entire family alone, tired, weak and damaged by the poison. She sure had her work cut out for her.

The two men got back on their feet and made their way over to her. They were both smiling manically, their twisted grins wider than usual. They had something planned...But what was it.

Alice backed away toward the door but her attention was caught by the shadow which fell across behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to see Betty standing in the doorway with a chainsaw. She shakily raised it over her head and howled as the deafening roar of the engine drowned out all other noise in the room.

Alice couldn't even hear herself scream. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, over-shadowing the poison enough for her to run away. Betty followed, screeching like a psychopathic parrot. Alice darted around one of the beds only to be cornered by Tim and Kirk. She turned and ran around the other side only to face a wall.

She cursed and whirled around to face her enemies. Betty stood in the middle of them, the chainsaw raised high above her head.

"It's over darling!" She snarled. "If you won't give us a baby, then you can at least give us some food!"

Alice froze up. Her adrenaline burst seemed to run out. She fell to her knees and stared up at her assailants.

Betty closed in on her prey, laughing wickedly. Just as she was about to bring the chainsaw down she felt a clammy, cold hand wrap around her mouth, silencing her. The intruder pushed down against her face and threw her to the floor. She dropped the chainsaw and cried out as she was dragged aside.

"Betty?" Tim whirled around, distracted by the un-invited guest.

Alice couldn't see the person who helped her as Tim blocked her view. Rather than be distracted she took the chance and grabbed hold of the chainsaw which was still running. She struggled to lift it and only managed to lift it to about knee-height. She then threw herself forward, thrusting the serrated blade into the back of Tim's knee.

A sickening grating sound was joined by the horrific splattering of flying gibbets of flesh, bone and blood. Tim roared as he was felled like a human tree. As he thrashed about he inadvertently slapped the blade of the chainsaw, slicing his hand clean in two.

His cries were so awful that Alice almost felt sorry for him, but then she remembered what they wanted to do and she was suddenly overcome with murderous rage. She grabbed the chainsaw again and drove it deep into Tim's stomach. The blade chewed through his innards and spat them out all over the place like a broken blender. Tim tried to scream but dark blood pumped out of his mouth in a thick, gooey torrent. It spilled all over his front and in then his whole body rocked forward.

Alice tried to yank the chainsaw out but it was stuck, still eating away at his bulky torso. She cursed and dived out of the way, anticipating Kirk's heavy-handed punch.

"You bitch! I'll tear you apart! I'll grind your bones to dust and-"

Alice was no longer listening. Instead she was staring at the figure standing behind Kirk. Dripping fangs and glowing eyes were all she could make out. In a blur of movement, the second intruder pounced on Kirk, knocking him to the floor. He rolled over and threw the assailant off of him, but in no time it was back, digging razor sharp fangs into his neck and tearing out a sizeable chunk. Blood spurted out in a gory fountain and Kirk was dead within seconds.

Alice dropped under the bed beside her, not wanting to test the allegiance of the monster that had attacked Kirk.

Betty's agonised screams alerted her and Alice peered out from under her cover to see the first monster clawing at Betty's face, tearing strips of flesh from her cheeks with each rabid strike. She convulsed about on the floor but the ghoul picked her up b the face with one hand and then slammed her head through the floor, crushing her skull and killing her instantly.

Alice stifled her scream and watched as the two ghouls turned away from her. In the darkness it was hard to make out any details, but one of them had a striking trait that was made her blood run cold. The first ghoul had bright orange hair...

The monsters sniffed the air and headed out the room. Jakes frenzied battle cry could be heard and barely a second later the wet slap of blood spraying the floor.

_What the hell is going on? These two ghouls...They are smarter than the others...They are faster as well! Are they evolving? But worst of all, one of them looked a lot like – No! It's not him! It's definitely not him!_

A high pitched scream echoed from upstairs. Alice remembered the young girl who spoke with Karin earlier...Eliza.

_Oh god no! Eliza will-"_

A loud thud came from above and then the sickening sounds of gnashing teeth. Alice couldn't bear to think of what they were doing, the reality all too horrible for her to contemplate. Instead she ran to Karin's side and shook her violently.

The young girl's eyes drifted open sluggishly but Alice had no time to wait. She slapped her across the face and watched as Karin bolted upright. Rather than explain she merely dragged her to her feet and got running.

They headed out to the car but were terrified to find it was surrounded by the undead. They were all over the place. There was no way out now. Outside, the undead choked the streets and inside, two powerful ghouls ran amok, drunk on the blood they had spilled.

They were trapped.

"How do we get out?" Karin asked anxiously. "Could we use the upstairs windows?"

"No!" Alice snapped. "They are upstairs already...We have no choice but to find the back exit...Or make one."

Karin nodded bravely and they sprinted to the back of the house. They searched for a door but found none. They were left with no other choice but to break down the wall and hope that the house wasn't surrounded.

Alice picked up a large log which had been used as a pillar but had inexplicably fallen down. She called Karin over and the two of them hefted the makeshift battering ram and charged at the wall. The corrugated iron sheeting and flimsy brickwork shattered under the force and the two of them crawled out into the street only to find more of the undead closing in on their escape route. They glanced over their shoulders and saw them entering the front door as well.

"We've cant go through them now...We've got no weapons either." Alice tried to decide on their next move.

Karin tugged on her sleeve and pointed up. "How about we get on the roof. We can wait until they leave or at least give us an opening, then we can run away."

Alice grinned. "Good thinking. Alright, here." She offered a foothold for her small companion and then pushed her up onto the roof. She then stood the log up like a ramp. When she was up she pushed it down so that the zombies wouldn't be able to get up.

Together they climbed up onto the second section of the roof, just above Eliza's room. Karin was about to peek through the window when Alice blocked the way. She forced a smile and stared at Karin with a pained expression. "I don't think that's a good idea. Let's just go."

They reached the upper roof and studied the growing horde of the undead. They stretched back a whole block and possibly further, but their view was obstructed by a thick fog which stretched far across the street like a formless curtain.

The undead were merely shuffling closer and closer, their mob growing bigger with each passing second. The stench of death soon became overpowering as thousands upon thousands of re-animated corpses gathered around the small stronghold.

Karin gazed down at the ocean of rotting faces, a grim reminder of her ultimate fate. "We're done for aren't we? I thought they would just scatter but they are just growing in number...We're worse off than we were when we started..."

Alice draped an arm over her friend and leaned against her for support. "We just have to wait and see...As long as they never get on the roof we should be safe."

As the mob grew larger, the undead had to crawl over each other to move, creating decayed human pyramids. They kept climbing over each other and within an hour they reached the roof. They crawled on their hands and knees at first but eventually gained their footing, limping ever closer to the stranded girls.

"I'm sorry..." Karin whimpered. "It's my fault. We're going to die up here..."

Alice was about to speak when the window beneath her shattered outwards. The zombies paused momentarily, as if they were hesitating.

"What's going on? They stopped!" Karin yelled.

"Shh!" Alice hissed, raising a finger to her lips.

They both watched as something lunged out of the window and landed in a crouch before the ghouls. It was the monster from before, the one who killed Betty...The zombie that bore an uncanny resemblance to-

Karin screamed. Her whole body began to shake violently. Her eyes were wide and her lips were quivering fervently, a single name trapped on the end of her tongue but unable to roll off.

The orange-haired zombie turned its head, the bones in its neck cracking in the process. His head turned a full 180 degrees as if her were an owl, twisting beyond a normal human, living or dead.

Karin tried to back away but Alice restrained her, otherwise she would have fallen off the edge of the roof and plummeted far below to certain death.

"It's...It's...It can't be! It just can't be..." Karin still couldn't utter the name. Her body refused to let her speak it, as if it was a curse and not an identity. Karin shook her head as stinging tears rolled down her cheeks. "Ichigo?"

The zombie's eyes seemed to flicker at the sound of his name and a twisted monstrosity of a grin crept across his flayed lips.

Review.


	5. Meet Your Maker

**Meet Your Maker**

Karin screamed at the sight of her brother. There was no way he could possibly be alive...or dead, or undead or whatever it is. She withdrew into Alice's arms and cried hysterically.

"It's not him! It can't be! He never would have become one of them! Never!"

Alice held Karin but she paid little attention to the traumatized young girl. Her main focus was on Ichigo. No matter how hard her young companion tried to deny it Alice knew in her heart that this was Ichigo. She could feel it. She didn't know how but she could sense Ichigo's presence, albeit drowning amongst a hideous, unnatural sensation.

_Is he a friend or foe? He did save us...But he's a ghoul now! What should I do?_

The horrid monstrosity spread his fleshless lips and smiled. His rotting breath came out in misty expulsions from his open jaws. Black and yellow teeth jutted out from his grey, decayed gums. Both old and fresh blood coated his ravaged face. His sunken eye-sockets still held the amber eyes Ichigo once had, although the colour had begun to dull as if he had cataracts.

"Ichigo..." Alice was confused whether to be utterly repulsed or relieved. Even in this state he posed as a potential ally. The only problem was whether she could bring herself to trust one of the walking undead...

The other ghouls hissed at him, considering Ichigo just as much of an enemy as they did living people. Ichigo snarled right back at them and turned back towards the shuffling masses. He spread his arms wide and roared, a challenge to any who dared face him.

His actions were strange. He was evolved from these others. He was faster stronger, smarter and somehow had a slight semblance of memory. He even had the ability of simple thought...Or at least enough to control his predatory instincts and direct it upon chosen targets, rather than preying upon anything that moves like the others.

Alice was so entranced by the oddity that she only just noticed Karin tugging at her sleeve. Tears had washed thin trails through the dirt on her face and her quivering lips parted to utter a trembling plea.

"Run." She whispered so softly it was barely audible. "Please, let's run?"

"But-"

Karin got to her feet and tried to bring her comrade up too but Alice remained fixed to her spot. Karin used all her strength in trying to move her but Alice stood firm.

"Please. We have to get out of here." Karin sobbed.

Alice waved a hand at her and glanced out at the sea of the dead and the one courageous fool who stood alone against them all. Even as a zombie Ichigo still had the same reckless one-man-army mentality that had gotten him in so much danger as a mortal. His now dulled orange hair was whisked about by the strong breeze.

He stood motionless for a moment before he charged at the zombies. He roared like a true beast as he lunged at the front line of the zombies, tearing out throats and slicing pallid flesh open with his bare hands. He bit into another ghoul's face and tore free a long strip of skin which he slurped up like a strand of spaghetti before taking another bite, this time using the force of his jaws to crush the beast's skull, splattering brain matter and scraps of flesh and bone all over himself. He licked some of it off his lips and then raked his claws through another zombie's eyes.

Alice observed the onslaught with morbid fascination, but she wasn't the only one. A shadow dropped down beside her and only Karin screamed, but she was silenced by a harsh whisper from the stranger.

Alice looked up into the eyes of a true monster. This creature was very much alive but he looked even more terrifying than the ghouls all around her. His painted face looked like an evil clown from a child's most horrible nightmares and the rest of his skin was paler than any ghoul's. His grin was unnaturally huge, covering half of his face and threatening to consume the rest. He had no gums and so each tooth was in full view, including the roots.

"Who are you?" Alice asked, sliding back away from him.

Mayuri ignored the question and instead glanced out at Ichigo, battling against the undead hordes. "I see you are intrigued by my creation. He is a marvellous display of evolution isn't he?"

"You bastard!" Karin screamed. "What have you done to my brother?"

Mayuri just laughed at her rage. "I am creating a new race. Prehistoric humans were eventually brought to extinction, only for a new strain of human-kind to flourish. In time they became extinct and yet another stage of humans took over. That is evolution; this is merely man's new stage." Mayuri's manic grin was truly sickening.

Despite watching corpses rising up and dismembering men, women and children Alice had never felt so revolted in her life. She wanted to throw up but nothing came out.

Mayuri chuckled and spread his arms wide. "Ichigo Kurosaki is one of my prototypes. In time I will have created a magnificent being with absolute control over life and death! He will be immortal! He will be the ultimate creature, the final stage of evolution! He will aid me in shaping a new world! One which I own!"

Alice backed away further, joining Karin at the furthest point of roof, putting as much distance between them without dropping down into the surging wave of ghouls.

"You appear distressed. You must understand that this is still an early stage of the process. He will become faster, stronger and his bodily structure will soon function normally. He will be as he was in life, but better!"

"You're a fool!" Alice snarled. "Resurrection caused this nightmare! How can it possibly solve it?"

"Solve? I never said that. I am merely advancing humanity to a better place. I am not interested in stopping these mindless creatures or their rampant hunger for flesh. If they continue to kill people it is no problem to me, it merely means more subjects to work with!"

As the madman lost himself to insane laughter Alice and Karin fled, jumping down off the roof and on top of a parked four wheel drive. They ran through an alley way and ended up in an empty street. It seemed Ichigo had drawn most of the living dead to him making it possible to search for shelter safely.

"Right. We need weapons and we need shelter. I know it's risky but we may have to search underground for those hideouts Kirk told me about."

"But what if it's a trap?" Karin gasped, remembering the horrors that occurred within that accursed little house.

"It's a gamble, but we need weapons. If we have to kill someone to ensure our survival then so be it. I don't want to become a toy for that fucking evil clown!" Alice clenched a fist and looked down to Alice. "Sorry."

Karin cocked her head. "I'm used to you swearing, you don't have to apologise."

Alice sighed. "I was talking about your brother. It's awful what that man is doing and the fact that he chose someone close to us both is just salt in the wound...But I swear to you, we will find a way to save him and also...I'll make sure neither of us ever becomes a test subject for that lunatic!"

The two shared weak smiles before approaching a man-hole.

* * *

Beneath the ruins of Karakura town, down below in the festering sewers where rotting corpses and rubbish and waste build up into disgusting piles, something was stirring from its slumber. It's elongated, armour plated tail thrashed about, knocking down towers of body parts and banks of waste and trash. Its yellow eyes glared out from deep sunken hollows in its large over-grown skull. Rows upon rows of yellow razor sharp teeth gnashed anxiously against its blackened gums.

The creature dragged itself up from the dull green waters onto solid ground, its large snout wavering as it sniffed the air for prey. The great reptilian beast roared as it caught the scent out fresh meat. Its massive body, resulting from a mutation of the virus caused it great difficulty in moving throughout these sewers. Its bulk was so great that as it walked its hips bumped up against the sides as it walked.

Its prey was so close yet in the darkness it could not yet see them. Trailing by scent alone it crept closer and closer...

* * *

Alice hesitated in setting foot in the murky green water. There was something terribly wrong about it. Karin hovered above her, gazing down into the darkness.

"Hey! What's wrong?"

Alice didn't look up. She jumped off the ladder and landed nimbly on one of the cement banks on either side of the unnatural waterway. The sickly river was choked with the dead and some who were undead, but strangely enough couldn't swim and so drowned in the foul waters of the sewer.

Karin dropped down beside her and grasped her nose. "This is awful. I can't even breathe."

Alice signalled for quiet. "Can you hear something?" She asked, staring off into space.

Karin tried to listen and became distracted by a powerful rumbling sound further down. It sounded like thunder but concentrated underground. She cocked her head and squinted through the dark tunnels that ran underneath the town.

"Something is there." Alice stated urgently. "It looks pretty big. We should get out of here."

"Fine, up the ladder! Let's go." Karin jumped back onto the ladder but Alice shook her head.

"We have to find those weapons. We'll go the other way. This thing should be too large to follow us for long. Come on." Alice dragged the younger girl alongside her as they jogged down the foul-smelling tunnels.

The mysterious creature began to pick up its pace, creating a greater cacophony in its haste to catch the two tasty morsels. The beast roared in excitement as the two girls finally were within its sights. They both stopped running away and stared at the grotesque abomination.

Karin screamed and ran full tilt down the tunnel leaving Alice behind to face the monster alone. Alice was bewildered by the mutated reptile.

Its armour plated scaled ran along its spine and its soft underbelly appeared to be slick with some kind of thick gooey substance which dripped off into the stagnant pool of sewerage. It looked as if its stomach was melting but it was merely a coating of pussy mucus. Large overgrown talons sprouted from its stubby tree-trunk sized digits.

If there was a gun nearby Alice would pump the giant croc full of lead but in her current circumstances she was unarmed. She didn't even have her sword with her. She had left it behind in Kirk's home. The house had been swarmed with the undead before she could retrieve it.

She stared at the monster and realised it had caught up dangerously fast. Somehow this creature was not only able to keep up with them but its massive strides were giving it an advantage of speed. If that were true then there was no way to outrun this beast. She would have to fight it. But first she needed weapons.

Unfortunately, the mutant croc was impatient. The vile reptilian ghoul was in no mood for just watching its prey. Now was the time to close in and feast. It dropped it massive sagging belly into the water and tucked its legs underneath. It only just fit in the large man-made river and it used its large hind legs to propel itself forward through the water. In just one kick from its hind legs it had closed the distance between itself and the entrée.

Alice dived back but landed merely a hairs breadth from the monster. The fetid stench of its swollen, pus-coated stomach made her gag but she somehow held back the urge to vomit. Survival came first, and then she could puke her guts out.

She got back on her feet and ran as fast as she possibly could. The giant propelled itself after her gaining ground with each impressive stroke. While the beast leisurely swam after her Alice pushed herself to the point of exhaustion. Her head was swimming and any slight loss of concentration would have her falling into the ground with enough force to keep her down.

She tilted forward and gained a slight increase in speed but the croc was right on her tail. There was no way to reach a safe distance from the giant maw of the croc. The best she could hope for was to find somewhere too small for the croc to squeeze through and arm herself for a second round, but this sewer was very large and open. Her only hope would be one of the pipes and that would result in her being soaked in the disease-ridden waste of the undead.

The giant snapping jaws came within mere centimetres of her leg and Alice screamed in panic. She started to stumble but remained at a high speed. The felt the steaming breath of the sewer king and was spurred on to run faster. She took each stride as a leap of faith, each time narrowly escaping the jaws of certain death.

"Karin! Karin! Wherever you are stay put! Don't come out no matter what!" Alice cried out so loud that her words bounced around several times, repeating her words as if it were an alarm.

The young girl poked her head out of a small crevice between the stony wall twenty metres ahead. Alice raced up to it and tried to judge the size of the gap. She started to put her left leg through, then her hip and then...

"Oh no!" Alice cried out in alarm.

"Hurry up! Get in!" Karin urged, tugging at Alice's arm.

"Argh! I'm stuck!" Alice groaned. "I can't move!"

Karin fell silent. Her eyes were glued to something behind her unfortunate friend. Alice knew that the only other inhabitant of this sewer was the great mutated croc. She turned slowly, craning her neck to stare into the cavernous jaws of the beast.

Alice used the one arm inside the crevice to squeeze Karin's hand. She half closed her eyes, expecting the end to come...

'Ka-boom!'

The deafening roar of a hunting rifle echoed throughout the tunnel. The croc snarled at something further away and another thunderous gunshot went off. The croc seemed to look irritated as it moved further up to find the uninvited guest. More gunshots rang out, three times as many this time. The successive thunder-claps went one after the other for a full minute.

The croc turned down an adjoining tunnel and slid out of view.

Alice tried to drag herself out of the hole but she was stuck in both ways, unable to get in or out. It seemed she would be permanently wedged between the gap in the wall but a group of stranger suddenly descended upon her and one of them shot at the wall. A large section crumbled away, freeing Alice from the wall and allowing her to fall out into the main tunnel.

She stared up at those who rescued her and grappled with the choice of relief or fear. They may have saved her from the croc but Kirk and his wife were proof that some survivors had gone insane. This could be the eye of the storm, or a blessing in disguise...

But there was only one way to find out.


	6. Man Vs Beast

**Man Vs Beast**

Alice stared up at the rag-tag group of survivors. All of them seemed out of place. There was a man in a crisp black suit, dressed more suitably for an accounting job than wielding a hunting rifle. Another was a young girl, only just in her teens. She would have been close to Karin's age. An older sister stood over her, probably about eighteen or twenty years old. The others looked like random people plucked out of nowhere and none of them seemed equipped with the training or ability to handle a gun except for a man dressed in army fatigues at the head of the group.

"That was a close one." The soldier exclaimed. "If we hadn't spotted you then it would have been all over for you."

Alice accepted the aid from the two girls as they lifted her up. She nodded in thanks and faced the leader once more. "What on earth was that thing?"

"It's a crocodile." The man in the business suit replied, his voice cold.

Alice rolled her eyes. "I know that! But why was it so huge?"

"Our guess is that the diseases lurking within the waters of this sewer mixed with this virus into mutating. This new strain not only revives the seemingly dead but it also causes horrific deformities upon those infected. We've seen it happen to quite a few things down here." The man in the business suit seemed rather unaffected by the disaster, as if this was just another regular day for him.

"You seem oddly calm about all this." Karin spoke accusingly.

Rather than be offended the man laughed. "We have little need to worry down here. We have created a safe haven down here. This place is practically impenetrable. Jaws keeps any intruders out so we can pretty much rest easy."

"You use that monster as a guard? What if it turns on you?" Alice cried.

The soldier cut off whatever the businessman was about to say and answered for him. "Our stronghold is in an area too small to be accessible by Jaws and even if he wanted to he would be hitting the walls for hours before he got even remotely close to us and by then we would have fled. We have fall-back zones for such a situation and in our time down here we have prepared some defences as well."

"So you're in charge I assume?" Alice posed the question to the soldier who nodded curtly.

"My name is Ryan. I was sent here for a relief mission but the rest of my platoon was either killed or went missing. I'm hoping at least one of them survived. We need more specialists if we are to survive this mess."

"I'm Alice."

The two shook hands and then the introductions began. The younger of the two girls stepped forward. "My name is Zoe and this is my sister Claire." She waved a hand at the older girl who grinned and waved timidly.

"I'm Karin." The young Kurosaki girl stepped forth.

The businessman folded his arms and adjusted his glasses. "My name is Shurin. I suppose I should say pleased to meet you, but personal attachment is better placed after trust has been built."

Karin scowled at the man but he seemed to take no notice.

"You are welcome to stay with us if you like. Unlike some other bands of survivors we aren't complete lunatics." Ryan explained. His voice dropped to a whisper as if the accused were right around the corner. "You know there is this family from America, a bunch of psychopaths. We kicked them out and sent them off because they were hell-bent on," His voice went even quieter and he spoke with utter disgust, "Continuing the species."

Alice felt a bit of bile rising to the back of her throat and with it a name was spat out with such disgust it made her skin crawl. "Kirk."

Ryan's face went pale. "You've heard?"

Alice shook her head. "No, we met him. I know first-hand of his vile ambitions. At least he is rotting in Hell now." She shuddered and looked away. "That encounter was one worth repressing."

"I'm sorry. So...They were over-run as well. Damn." Ryan averted his gaze.

"What's wrong?" Zoe asked.

"Well, that means we only have two strongholds left in the entire town. I know it seems safe down here but sooner or later we'll have to abandon ship and when we do we'll be trapped in our final safe haven." The soldier patted the girls head and smiled reassuringly. "But we won't let that happen will we?"

"No sir!" Zoe saluted him and ran off laughing.

The others remained in their group, chatting quietly amongst themselves about their plans and what they knew about the dead. Their strategy meeting was unfortunately cut short when a piercing scream billowed out from around the corner.

Zoe came stumbling out, only to trip and fall short of her friends. Her left hand was covered in blood and patches of white bone were visible behind the torn scraps of muscle tissue which held her forearm together.

Claire screamed and rushed to her sister's side but the others swooped down on her and pulled her back just as an undead man burst out behind Zoe.

"Save her!" Claire begged but everyone else watched on with grave expressions. Claire glared at them. "What are you doing? Shoot him!"

Ryan shook his head. "Our little scrap with Jaws earlier must have attracted the attention of the others. If he got in then it means others just as easily can find us. We can't risk it just yet.

"But what about Zoe?" Claire bit Shurin and dashed off towards the ghoul. She punched the beast full in the face but he barely reeled from the attack. Without even checking she stooped down to aid her sister, not realising the undead fiend was already lunging at her. Its dull grey fangs sank into her shoulder and her head spasmodically shot backwards, slamming into the beast and making him stumble backwards.

Claire grabbed her sister and lifted her up into her arms. She cradled her like a child and tried to run back towards the others but a sudden surge of water knocked her to her knees.

The others all backed away and braced themselves for whatever was coming up the tunnel.

Claire hurriedly tried to lift her sister again but the zombie was upon her, this time grabbing the side of her face. One fleshless finger hooked into the corner of her mouth and made her give an awkward forced grin while another dragged her cheek back until the flesh was about to tear. A third dug into her eye socket, pushing the orb out of its socket slightly so that it was bulging out like something out of a cartoon.

The few who watched the shocking display struggled to retain their composure.

Claire let out a pitiful moan before the ghoul yanked his hand back, ripping the flesh from her cheek and gouging out her eye. She fainted before the beast started gnawing on her forehead, what should have been brittle teeth grinding away bone and reaching ever closer to her brain.

Alice cursed under her breath and summed up the courage to kill the zombie but the job was done for her by a familiar foe. Jaws, as they had named him burst through the tunnel behind another violent surge of decrepit green sewerage water.

Ryan pushed the others back and started running himself. The giant croc snatched up the unfortunate trio in its massive gaping jaws and with one crushing snap all three were reduced to bloody pulp and swallowed.

The rest of the survivors sprinted along the tunnel and then passed down another few twists and turns until they reached a large grating beneath them. It was large enough for a person to fit through the gaps and that was what they did. They all squeezed through until they were floating in water so deep they couldn't reach the bottom. They swam hastily through the gloom until they found a rusted ladder.

"Is this the way out" Karin asked hopefully, already climbing up out of the fetid pool.

"No, half the rungs have rotted away and besides, it leads nowhere. Keep swimming. The next ladder is the way out!" Ryan pushed ahead of the group, panting heavily. Shurin followed close behind while Alice and Karin remained side by side, taking each stroke together in unison.

The grating not far behind them started whining as the great croc tried to worm its way through. Instead, its immense weight crushed the iron bars and made them curve inwards until the giant slipped through into the deeper water where at last it could swim freely. In this area it was faster than before. This was Jaw's domain and he was much faster than the little team of humans trying to escape.

The survivors swam faster, panting heavily in their haste to escape. Their panicked breathing echoed around the tunnel. Karin once again reached the ladder first and climbed up with the ease that only children can manage. Shurin was next, shoving past Alice to get away before her. Alice could have fought back but she did not want to anger her new allies. Ryan climbed up last, watching the rippling waves with dread. The water was so deep that Jaws was fully submerged. The only trace of him was the monstrous ripples which erupted from the surface. As they grew nearer they became larger, almost like waves. That could only mean one thing...Jaws was coming up.

"Hurry!" Ryan commanded.

Karin reached the top of the ladder but couldn't lift the grating above her. It had been sealed shut by rust and crusted sewage making it impossible for the young girl to lift. Shurin hung below her, quickly losing his patience.

"Hurry up and lift it!" Shurin snapped. "Go on! Do it!"

"Shut up!" Karin retorted angrily. "I'm trying," She pushed against the grating but still it refused to budge.

"Oh for Christ's sake move! I'll do it!" Shurin snarled. Alice tapped him on the ankle and scowled.

"Leave her alone." She looked up to her young companion and smiled. "Come on Karin, you can do it. Just try a little harder ok?"

"Ok..." Karin whimpered her voice shaky. When she looked down she saw the huge shadow spreading beneath them. There wasn't enough time to waste. She had to get out of here now! With a grunt of effort she pushed against the grating, forcing her weight into it. A crusty edge snapped with a deafening 'crack' but the rest remained sealed. Karin sank back into place and prepared to do it again, but just as she pressed herself up against the grating, Shurin grabbed her ankle and dragged her down.

"Oh for fuck's sake! I'll do it you stupid child!" He wrenched her leg back and threw her off the ladder. Karin grabbed onto a rung halfway to the bottom but her hand slipped and she continued to fall until she hit the water with a jarring slap. She sank down until she could not be seen and for a moment it seemed she wasn't coming back up.

"Karin!" Alice moved to dive into the water but Ryan beat her and was already in the murky green pool searching for her. Alice remained fixed in place, unable to look away...Not until she saw Karin safe.

Ryan's head bobbed up to the surface and he gasped for air. He wheezed for a short time and was about to go under again when the water started to ripple uncontrollably and he was thrown into the ladder, his back colliding hard with the old steel frame.

Alice's eyes narrowed and she screamed in pure terror, but even with all the strength in her lungs she could not match the mighty roar of the mutated croc. A great fanged mouth the length of a station wagon burst forth out of the water like a hideous flower sprouting from a bud. A rain of fetid sewer water hailed down upon them and the water gushed violently like the waves during a storm.

Alice hugged the ladder and stared at the beast. It's horribly disfigured eyes were grey, but splotches of blood covered small areas, as the tiny capillaries burst inside. It snapped at her heels and threw itself into the ladder, bending the lower half so that it was almost 'L' shaped.

Shurin threw himself into the grating and it came free. He pushed it up and climbed up through the manhole, not bothering to notify the others, not that it would have helped.

Ryan was clinging to the bottom of the ladder, trying to search for Karin as well as keep his eyes on the croc. He couldn't see a thing past the furious ripples and Karin had still not returned to the surface. That was troublesome, but at the moment Ryan feared for his own life more. He knew he had to save Karin, but his mind screamed to escape. He grappled with the decision for far too long but eventually arrived at the conclusion that he would have to look for Karin no matter what. He cursed his military training and ducked underwater. He opened his eyes but it did nothing to help him. The water was so dark he couldn't even see his hand in front of his face. He groped about blindly, soon enough grabbing hold of something, though it felt like a rock, not flesh. Unfortunately, he didn't see the armoured tail thrash towards him and so he was unable to react as it slammed into him with the force of a speeding truck. Ryan was thrown into the wall and he sank like a stone, blood pouring from his mouth and the back of his shattered skull.

Alice saw the blood in the water and panicked. Jaws was still writhing about on the surface, snapping wildly and roaring at his prey, angered that they had passed beyond his reach. Alice glared at the beast and reached for the rifle slung on her back. She couldn't fire it off up where she was as the gases of the sewer could ignite from the shot, not to mention the recoil would throw her down into the water. But she had to stop the croc somehow. She looked around and frowned at the lack of options she had. The only way to survive would be to escape, but she had to save Karin...

It seemed she had no choice...

Alice took out her knife and used a strip of cloth from her sleeve to make a simple bayonet. Then she watched Jaws as he rolled about spasmodically. She waited for the right moment and then she lunged, leaping from the top of the ladder until she landed on Jaw's thick scaly snout. She landed right between his eyes and both of them seemed to focus on her in that instant. He stopped rolling about so that he could observe his prey, but that was a surprise advantage Alice had to profiteer from.

She drew her rifle back and used it like a spear, driving it deep into one of the dinner-plate sized eyes. Black vitreous humour spewed forth but Alice ignored it and drove the blade deeper, twisting it like a corkscrew and forcing it in further.

Jaws went wild again, this time convulsing out of pain. He roared and Alice barely managed to hold on as his jaws flipped upwards to open his cavernous jaws. Alice cursed and wrapped her fingers around the barrel as tightly as she could. Jaws shook his head ravenously and several times Alice felt her hands slipping. She tightened her grip once more and flung a leg out onto one of his stony eyelids. The beast snarled at her as Alice rose up high enough to reach the trigger. It was then that she squeezed it until she felt her hands cramp. The gunshot was deafening, echoing through the tunnel with a sound of thunder. Jaws let out on last mighty roar, flinging Alice into the ladder which she hit with her shoulder with bone-breaking force. She fell back down into the water and was tossed about as the great croc began to sink. The blood had gone crimson and the smell of rotting meat had intensified until it was purely nauseating.

Alice watched dazedly as the great waves crashed over her and then everything went black...


	7. Crimson Flood

**Crimson Flood**

Mayuri slaved away over his creations...His Adam and Eve. So far the prototypes had proven to be rather useful to him. Not only were they instinctually aggressive towards their inferior counter-parts, but the encounters with the two young women had proven that they had also retained their memories throughout the resurrection process. They were also remarkably fast and their strength was quite incredible. The only downside was their physical decay and their mental instability.

Mayuri had run through the problem endlessly in his head, slaving over the issue. After all, if the Kurosaki boy and Kuchiki girl were to lead humanity's next stage of evolution, they would have to be able to think clearly and solve complex problems much like their inferior predecessors and their physical condition left much to be desired. Their open wounds could become horribly infected and gangrenous and render them useless. He could not allow that to happen.

He leaned back in his chair and stared at his Eve. She was chained to the wall via a leash around her neck. She was behaving well at the moment and she sat on her haunches expectantly, her blank white eyes observing her master with childlike curiosity. Her delicate skin had become ruptured with open sores and wounds. Sickening blue veins were visible through the milky white flesh of her cheeks and her hair was falling out in places leaving her hideously raw and flaking scalp to be seen. She had lost so much weight since her heart stopped beating and now her shihakusho clung to her like a loose rag.

Mayuri stroked his chin and groaned. He decided upon a hypothesis that he very much desired to test...But there was the slight fear that it would erase the evolutionary process and render her a regular human being again. If she were to be resurrected to her original state then his dream would be shattered. He could not allow that to happen either. Mayuri reached into his coat and retrieved something. He grinned at it and then looked to his test subject. "Come here Eve...I have something for you..." His wicked, toothy grin spread as Rukia obediently limped towards her master.

* * *

Hunger...Confusion...Hunger again...It was all she could feel. The hunger was strong. The hunger would not leave, not until she was fed...Not until she felt the ecstasy of blood dripping down her parched throat or the rich, live-giving flesh of the mortals. It gave her a pleasure she had never felt during her first life. She had never even thought of what fresh human tasted like, let alone the immense rush of endorphins which washed through her body with every bite. She could only think of the hunger now. Nothing else had meaning except the hunger.

She had not felt pain in a long time...She knew that she should feel pain, but her entire body was numb to the concept now. In fact she was numb to just about everything she once knew. That was why...To feel something, anything at all she had to feed. If the only things in life she could ever feel were hunger and the joy it brought, then of course she would strive to appease that hunger.

The man with the funny face was staring at her. He did that a lot. He spoke to her in words she no longer comprehended and made expressions she could not interpret. When he looked at her it meant he wanted her to stay put, or to come closer. He would hit her if she chose wrong, but she never felt him strike her. She wasn't sure who he was, though he seemed familiar from her past life in some way...She did not know much about him, but he was the first person she saw when she was awakened. She had stared at him for a long hard while, clawing away at the solid air in an attempt to reach him and sink her teeth into his neck. The hunger was there as soon as she was awakened.

But now she wasn't very hungry. She had eaten her fill on her trip outside earlier. Two children, one only young and the other in his teens. She saw no faces however, merely arteries choked with nourishing blood and delicious meat. She swooped down upon them and buried her head deep inside the girl's chest cavity, gnawing away at the sinewy tissue around her heart and gulping down the thick torrents of red water which pumped out of it even after she had ripped the girl to shreds. Her skin was not very tasty, so she kept to the innards. Funny how offal disgusted her in her past life and yet now it was more satisfying than a chocolate cake.

She remembered things every now and then. Not much...But little things. She recognised her friend Ichigo. She remembered what she used to look like. She remembered chocolate cake. She still couldn't recall her name however. That was annoying. She also forgot how to speak, a shame. She had many questions to ask.

On her trip outside she also remembered something else. She saw some old friends form her past life. Alice and Karin. They were still alive. That mad her feel a gentle tingle, possibly happiness but she wasn't sure anymore. She could smell them and their living, thriving tissue and it had made her drool, but something inside of her made her refrain from attacking. Maybe her heart had woken up at that moment?

Now, as she stared at her master and a little object in his pale hands. It reminded her of something she had always hated...Needles. Her memory sparked up once again and she glared at the syringe. Regardless however of her distaste towards them she was beckoned forth by her master. She had to obey or she might not be fed. She was desperately hungry now. Just moments before she was full, but the hunger was like that. It hit suddenly and when it did it was a craving that made her entire body itch and burn with desire.

And so she approached her master and the shiny needle. She stopped when the chain around her neck went too tight. She remembered chains. The man grabbed her arm and his hands felt cold. It made her body tingle with something that was probably fear in her past life. She stared at the needle which he pressed into her skin. It made a strange sound, like tearing paper. She saw blood, but it was her own and so it did not satisfy her urge. There was something magical about mortal blood. Living blood was swimming with energy and it was that that she craved. The needle was pressed down into her arms, her half-empty veins and as the plunger went down she felt it surge through her. It felt strange, foreign even... She didn't like it. She wanted it to stop. She let out the only noise she could make, a long mournful howl that sounded like a dying hound. She remembered dogs. She didn't care. She just wanted the needle to go away!

She tried to swat it away but then she saw her hand. The big red lines and holes had filled in on the back of her hand. The veins disappeared under her pale skin and the tears and wounds were starting to go away as well...

The master was laughing now, laughing like a mad scientist from a movie she had watched with Ichigo once...She remembered the nights she spent with Ichigo. It made her feel something...It actually made her feel something. She could feel? She could feel! The numbness was abandoning her! The hunger was receding. Then the pain hit her. Pain returned with a vengeance.

Rukia dropped to the cold wet floor and screamed. Her scream sounded wrong...It sounded...Almost human...

* * *

Karin looked around and frowned. She had been washed down the tunnel when she fell and now she was lost. She tried calling out to her friends but the only replies were the baying cried of the undead. She crawled along a cement embankment and wandered down a narrow opening which led out into another tunnel, parallel to the first. She followed it to an intersection which joined back to the first. She looked down the hall and saw a fragment of a ladder several metres off of the ground. The hatch above it was cracked and there was hole large enough for her to crawl through. She approached the ladder and stared up at it, wondering just how she was going to get up there. She tried jumping from a crouch, then run-ups but none of it worked. She tried kicking off of the walls but that was just as useless.

After twenty minutes of fruitless attempts she stopped to rest. She took in her surroundings and realised there was a large gap in the ground. She moved closer and stared at the great chasm. The water. From the first half of the tunnel was condensed through narrower tunnels which led into the chasm and then beyond that where Karin stood was where it continued. The layout of the system was a mystery to her and she shook her head in confusion.

The stagnant pool that filled the chasm was filled with unimaginable terrors. Rotting corpses, many of them in pieces littered the murky water. An arm floated past and bumped into a torso with one leg attached. A fleshless head rolled about between to eviscerated bodies. Organs bobbed up and down on the surface like horrendous bath toys. Karin would have looked away, where it not for the familiar face she saw intermingled between the sea of death.

"N-no..." She whimpered. She stared down at the body and screamed, "Alice!"

It was definitely her. She wasn't moving, just floating on the surface. She had large black stains on her front and Karin assumed the worst. She fell to her knees and sobbed. She let out a tortured squeal and wept uncontrollably, her eyes too clouded with tears to take notice of Alice stirring in the water below. She didn't see Alice's eyes open either, but she did hear the scream.

Karin moved to the edge of the pool and stared in disbelief at her friend. She cried out to her and offered a hand. Alice tried to swim through the sea of death but stopped entirely when she came across the corpse of the soldier, Ryan. The back of his skull had been split open like a ripe melon and now everything within had turned a sickly pale colour. Alice kicked and screamed and swam away from it.

It took a dreadfully long time for Alice to reach the edge of the chasm and even then she was too far down to reach Karin's outstretched hand. They both strained with the effort but they still could not reach. Karin leaned forward until she was about to fall in, digging her fingers into the decaying cement while extending her other hand.

Alice took a deep breath and ducked under the water before pushing her self up out of the water in an attempt at a jump. Their fingers brushed against each other but they could not get a grip. Alice cursed and tried again but once more it came within a hairs breadth of succeeding but still to no avail. She had to stop and catch her breath after that and Karin waited, keeping her hand out for her the whole time.

Alice dragged herself up onto the bloated corpse of a fat man and used him as like a pool inflatable. She slowly stood up and quickly lost her balance but as she fell forward she jumped. She grabbed hols of Karin's arm but almost dragged her down into the pit with her. Karin was forced down onto her stomach and she grabbed a hold of her friend with both hands using what little strength she had left to haul her up. Alice was still short of reaching the top and Karin was showing signs of strain. She wouldn't be able to keep her up for much longer.

"Hang on!" Alice cried trying to lift herself up at the same time. She reached out towards the edge of the chasm and only just wrapped her fingertips over it. Karin pulled harder and se finally managed to get a grip on the edge. She helped lift herself up while Karin assisted. It took a painfully long time but they managed to get her up onto solid ground and the two of them fell on their backs and panted heavily.

"You're alive." Karin wheezed.

"That's my line..." Alice rasped back, her chest rising and falling wildly.

"What happened?" Karin asked.

Alice looked to her and coughed. "Long story short...I killed Jaws..."

Karin's jaw dropped and she fell silent, quietly admiring such an impossible feat. Alice crawled closer and hugged the young girl. "I'm so glad you're safe...I was so scared..."

The two lay there for some time, oblivious to the world and also the monsters that were drawing upon them from further up the tunnel...

* * *

Shurin stumbled down the upper tunnels alone, working his way through the labyrinth by intuition. He kept looking back to see if anyone else managed to make it, but by now he was certain that they were all dead. That stupid girl had doomed them all, but he showed her. He wasn't going to die because of some dumb little kid stuffing around! And so what if Ryan and the others were dead? Now he had more rations. Now he had more weapons. He would get what he deserved.

The smell of the sewer seemed to be getting worse. Shurin crinkled his nose and cursed. "God, we should have salvaged some air fresheners as well..." He shook his head and moved on, weaving through the interconnecting tunnels. He passed yet another of the endless junctions and came to a large section of wall which had eroded over time. A flimsy iron gate hung on a single hinge, the other snapped long ago. Shurin passed through the gate and waited thirty seconds while a series of flame jets went off and incinerated anything within a small section of the hall ahead. When it was done he passed through the blackened section of the tunnel and into a large open area which had been built up a like a fortified town.

The flame jets had been Ryan's doing. His training in the SAS had come in handy for setting traps. He wandered through the town and called out, "I'm back!" He waited for a response but the townspeople were silent. That was odd. There were at least thirty other survivors in the shanty-town. Usually when the salvage teams returned they were treated like war heroes with their own little parade.

Oh well, Shurin wasn't in the mood for socialising anyway. There would be questions to answer about his missing team-mates...Questions he did not want to answer. Instead he went back to his home, a small shack built out of broken pieces of colour bond fences. He passed through the front door and noticed the shadow of something sitting in the corner.

"Hey!" Shurin roared and the intruder looked up. It was a little girl, with long brown hair and a stained pink dress. She eyed him curiously and then looked away again, bowing her head. "Hey!" Shurin repeated, "What are you doing in my house? If you've stolen anything I swear I will-"

The girl let out a horrible squeal and suddenly went under a table. She started crawling around and somehow she managed to reach the opposite side of the room in the blink of an eye. Shurin followed her with his eyes and laid eyes on the girl as she stepped into the light. That was when his jaw dropped.

The 'girl' had distorted limbs that bent the wrong way and jutted out to the side, like a lizard. Her fingers were far too long and there was a mess of parasites eating their way through her stomach. She roared at him and lunged, leaping an impossible distance with her freakishly mutated legs.

Shurin slammed the butt of his rifle into her face, knocking her flat on her back and she bleated like a lamb. "You fucking monster! How did you get in here?"

The girl responded with a second lunge and Shurin ducked out of her path, firing blindly. The shot penetrated her left thigh and she skidded and ran into the couch. As he lined up another shot he overheard moaning coming from outside. He cautiously looked out the window and saw rotting faces pressing up against the window, clawing sluggishly at the glass.

"Oh no...Oh god no..."Shurin backed away, into the wall. The lizard-girl reared up for another jump just as the front door was pushed open by a surge of the undead. The room was filled with writhing, rotting corpses in only a matter of second and Shurin was pushed up against the wall, with no more space to run. He cursed under his breath and loaded the rifle. He roared like an animal and fired, blowing the right side of an old woman's face off. He then shot a young police man in the throat. The next shot went through two of the ghouls, passing straight through the skull of the first and erupting deep within the brain matter of the second.

"Fuck you! Die! Die!" Shurin roared, desperately shooting into the growing mass of the dead. The entire colony had turned and there were more of them now. They had snuck in somehow and now the town was crawling with them. All hope was lost...

Shurin cursed and used the rifle as a club, knocking the front-runners back a few steps. Then he put the turned the barrel on himself. "No...I won't let them have me...I won't become one of you monsters! I won't allow it! Never, you hear me? Never!" He placed the barrel in his mouth and pulled the trigger. The gunshots only drew more of the undead.

* * *

Meanwhile, Alice and Karin were awakened by the gunshots. They both shot up and jumped to their feet, just as a horde of the undead closed in upon them. They stared at the ocean of shuffling zombies and they searched for weapons that they did not have. Then they saw the ladder. It was their only way out...But the undead were already beneath it...the two girls looked to each other and nodded gravely. They both took deep breaths and then they charged.

Don't forget to review. Advice is always welcome and praise helps a lot as well, so please review. 


	8. Rise From The Grave

**Rise From The Grave**

Karin and Alice charged at the undead horde, knowing full well that their only escape was the ladder to the upper levels. If they hesitated then the ladder would be blocked off and escape would be impossible. They had to go immediately, running for their lives.

Alice took the lead and barrelled into a large man in a construction uniform. He stumbled back and in turn knocked others down like an obscene row of dominos...Rotting, disgusting dominos. Alice vaulted over his snapping jaws and slammed her elbow into a teenaged girl with maggots for hair.

Karin followed close behind, hopping over the writhing bodies and stomping on those that got too close for comfort. Their lack of weapons was a problem but it did not concern them much right now. All they had to do was make it another few metres to the ladder and everything would be ok. They could find weapons in the upper levels. They could fortify their own little area and defend it from the undead. They just had to climb up the rusted metal structure and get the hell out of there!

The undead shambled forward, forming a solid wall of rancid meat the colour of mouldy bread. They moved as one, a single undying entity sharing one hollowed out, shrivelled brain between them. Their unseeing, vacant eyes stared at the two intruders, as if the word prey was written in human sauce all over their thriving, living flesh.

Alice braced herself for the gauntlet of resurrected ghouls. Every muscle tensed within her and she clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. A battle-cry was welling up within her and she couldn't hold it off. She screamed as she threw herself into the horde. She knocked down many of them, but in the process she too was felled. Trapped amidst a sea of writhing corpses she lost her footing and was tripped. She cried out in alarm as she tumbled alongside them.

"Alice!"

The smell was horrendous, like a long-abandoned slaughterhouse, still full of the festering pools of excrement blood and stale flesh. It was toxic. Alice couldn't think straight, her head spinning. She knew she was in danger, she could feel their writhing bodies all around her; feel their hands grabbing at her like a bunch of shoppers at a big sale. She was free to those who could get her, or so the undead thought.

There was still able to fight back. In a fit of panic and fury Alice kicked and clawed away at the creatures around her, lashing out at all who got too close. She felt her punches breaking hollowed out bones and some kicks sank through soft skin. Unfortunately there were far too many of them to defeat unarmed. She needed weapons. Needed them immediately.

Karin tried to break through to her friend, pummelling those who stood in her way, but she too was soon enshrouded in the growing mass of dead meat. She squealed and cried, but it only drew them closer. They grabbed her hands and feet, held her back, restrained her. Others moved to sink their foul malformed teeth into her body, to drain the essence of life from her and satiate their unnatural hunger.

As the undead circled around them like hungry sharks it became apparent that escape was quickly eluding them. Survival was becoming a distant dream in an imaginary world. All that was reality was tattered scraps of skin and hollow, soulless eyes. Teeth and claws, blood and gore, fear...It would be the last sights the unfortunate girls would ever see...

It seemed that surviving the apocalypse twice was impossible...

The undead swarmed over the two trapped humans. Their screams were deafening.

* * *

Rukia stared at her hands. They were...Normal...Why? She was dead! She knew she had died. She had become one of them! So why had she suddenly returned to normal? She tried to speak but it seemed the ability was not yet memorized by her formerly dead brain. It was only just beginning to fire up again and memories were returning to her rather quickly. Her grim fate in the old school building flooded back and she remembered her tragic end at the hands of the undead.

"Well Eve, how do you feel?" It was Mayuri. That name returned to her then. That insane psychopath! What had he done to her! Why had he kept her as a pet while she was a ghoul? She wanted answers, but firstly she had to learn how to ask them.

Her tongue moved of its own accord, buried instincts rising within her. "Ma...Mayuri..."

He smiled at that, as if he were watching a child speak their first words or take their first steps. He seemed far too over-joyed. But as far as her fractured memories could tell he had never been anywhere close to normal.

"Yes, my dear. Now what is your name?"

"Ru...Rukia." she whispered. The creepy doctor clapped and laughed.

"Marvellous! And now, tell me. Who is the enemy?"

Rukia thought for a moment and then uttered ever so softly, "Ghouls..."

"Wonderful! Now, one last question...Who is your master?" Mayuri leaned forward expectantly.

Rukia fell silent and stared at her feet. She waited for a moment while a stream of mixed thoughts spilled through her subconscious, all screaming out for her attention. She contemplated her answer and then straightened. "Mayuri...I have no master. Especially not you!"

That made him angry, very angry. Mayuri's alarmingly large grin upturned into a hideous frown and the flesh around his eyes was scrunched up as his face contorted into a most hideous scowl. "What? How dare you! I created you!"

"You kept me alive when I should have died. I don't know what the hell you're planning but I won't be a part of it and neither will Ichigo. Experiment on someone else!"

"You witch! I saved you from damnation and gave you power! You would still be a snivelling, brain-dead dog if I had not taken you! Know your place!" Mayuri's hands were flexing awkwardly, every few seconds his hands spasming and stiffening as if he were suffering fits of rigor mortis.

"You misunderstand your place Mayuri! You are not a god, you are a captain and not even _my_ captain at that. I'm sure captain Ukitake doesn't agree with this."

"That fool does not know and I won't have you spilling my secrets from your deceitful tongue!"

"I am returning to my post and I shall be taking Ichigo with me."

"Never!" Mayuri snapped. "I may have lost my Eve, but I still have the Adam of the new breed! I can just find a replacement for your worthless self!"

"What?"

"Yes! I shall dispose of this failed experiment and try again! I have learned from my mistakes. I will make sure not to choose such a brat as my subject!" His laughter was utterly inhuman. Rukia felt uneasy. She turned to leave but Mayuri flash stepped behind her and grabbed her by the throat.

"Hey! Get off of me! Someone! Help!" She writhed about but Mayuri was strong. She drove her elbow into his ribs but he still held her tight. He took out a syringe and stabbed it directly into her back. Rukia blinked rapidly and collapsed. The crazed doctor looked down at his rebellious test subject and cursed.

"She disobeyed me...It seems she was too arrogant for her own good. I had better dispose of her. I won't have her causing problems for me here...Not when I am making such progress!" Mayuri pondered his dilemma and was soon struck by an idea. He grinned wickedly and opened a senkai gate.

* * *

The dead swarmed through the sewers, drawn by the delectable and irresistible scent of fresh meat. Karakura Town had become a wasteland and all that had once lived had been quickly drained of life. Only a rare few existed and out of the fractured pockets of resistance, many had fallen. The ghouls had left certain areas alone during the early days of the outbreak, take the sewers for example. It was an abandoned fortress for humanity to hide...

...But no more is it so.

When meals above ground turned scarce the undead followed the only traces they could find, those washed down into the putrid filth of the sewers. It had taken some time to find a way in but once a break was discovered a flood of inhuman rot streamed through.

The resistance had failed to defend against the attacks and so the rare survivors had now been halved. The battle against the undead was an uphill battle and humanity was losing.

Two of these aforementioned survivors had come face to face with defeat. A desperate break for freedom had ended in disaster and they had been overpowered by the horde. Karin Kurosaki and Alice. Two brave young warriors, survivors of the first wave. Now they too had fallen to the shambling masses of the undead.

Alice fought against the cold dead hands that reached out towards her. She kicked and screamed, crawling like an injured animal out of harm's way, only to find her surrounded once more. She could not hold them off forever. Rigid fingers clasped around her arms and legs, dragged her, and restrained her. She writhed about in a frenzy of panic and rage but she only managed to get herself entangled in a decaying web of desiccated meat.

Karin had been buried under an avalanche of pale human flesh, lost under them all. Her weak cries could only just be heard over the snarling of the undead beasts.

The end had come...

But death had other plans.

A senkai gate opened before them like the gates of Hell, spewing unnatural light into the darkness. Before any of the undead could even crane their fragile necks, a blur of movement flashed through the light and into the sewer. A great roar escaped from everywhere and no-where at once, the bestial snarl bouncing off the cracked walls and echoing tenfold.

Blood and tattered scraps rained down upon the scene of confusion. The ghouls, distracted by the foray hesitated in their fest, slowly turning as one entity in search of the intruders. While their hollow eyes scanned the darkness a second attacker moved forth. With a gleaming katana in one hand the second assailant descended from the senkai gate and cut down anything that came too close.

The mysterious figure dragged something behind him and laid it down on the ground. He then fell back to the gate and called out into the storm of bloodshed to call back his attack dog, "Ichigo! Return now!"

The orange-haired demon bounded back to his master like an obedient pup, his body smeared in dark red blood. The boy looked over his shoulder to the remaining undead, all of whom had backed away from the attacker, awe-struck by his power and terrified of the enemy who once walked among them. The traitor was a fearsome entity to them and so they all backed away cautiously.

Mayuri clipped a thick chain onto the boy's throat and dragged him back towards the senkaimon. "Come now! We have done what we came for!"

The monster tugged on his leash but Mayuri pulled on the chain until the beast let out a strangled cry. It was then that it obeyed its master and followed him through the gate and back into the other world.

Alice watched on in shock. Ichigo had saved them once again...But more importantly, what had Mayuri dropped off? While the undead were still reeling from the surprise attack Alice quickly scooped up Karin in her arms and ran over to the mass on the ground. She kneeled down and stared at it. It looked human. It was pallid but not sickly. There was still a hint of life within the exposed flesh of the body.

Alice gingerly prodded the body and rolled it onto its back and with that she let out a horrified gasp. The body belonged to none other than Rukia Kuchiki!

"W-What? That's...That's impossible!"

A collective growl stirred amongst the undead. It seemed the trance of fear was wearing off now. But with their hasty retreat they had created a wide enough gap for the trio to reach the ladder. Alice dragged Rukia's unconscious (Or so she hoped) form to the base of the ladder, and then she gave Karin a helping hand and lifted her up to the broken frame. As the young girl climbed up Alice hefted the body of her old friend, placing it over her shoulder, and jumped up towards the ladder. She didn't have to jump high to reach it, fortunately, and so she was able to scurry up out of the way just as the snapping jaws of death swarmed beneath.

When they were on the next floor Alice and Karin wandered a short distance before collapsing once again. The fight and the flight had worn them both out and now rest was more vital than any weapon. Alice leaned against the wall of the tunnel and stared at Rukia. It wasn't right. Just yesterday Rukia had been a vicious beast. As ravenous as Ichigo. They had saved them from Kirk and his accursed companions as well as the horde of death. It felt like it had been so long since then, but it had only been a day...So much had changed in so little time.

"Rukia...What the hell happened?"

Rukia's eyes flickered for a moment and Alice jumped, startled. She let out a cry of alarm and Karin quickly awoke from her rest to assess the situation. When she saw Rukia's eyelids fluttering...Saw the dazzling deep blue orbs behind them...Her jaw dropped.

Rukia was alive...No, not just alive...She was human!

Alice's eyes narrowed as Rukia looked over to her dazedly. The two met each other's gazes and held them in silence.

"A-Alice? Is it...Is that you?" Rukia's voice sounded weak, dry, but still it was just like it had been before the nightmarish events in the school building. Before the undead had claimed her.

Alice felt tears streaming down her grimy cheeks and she couldn't suppress her weak little smile. "Yes...It's me alright..." Unable to control her joy, nor hold back the rampant explosion of emotions within her heart, Alice lunged at Rukia and hugged her, "Welcome back!" she sobbed.

Rukia joined her.

The tired, terrified, traumatised trio held each other close and basked in each other's radiant warmth. Together they slept, fighting the nightmares that haunted them and always keeping an eye out for the silent ghostly killers that stalked this world.

* * *

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	9. Escape From The Underworld

**Escape From The Underworld**

Their slumber was rough. It was a trial to say the least, trying to sleep all the while listening to the rumbling howls of the beasts dwelling down below. The undead were unaware of how to manipulate ladders or doors and so those that had gone down into the sewers were not likely to rise back up to the surface. That was a small victory for the three young women, but it was eclipsed by the dilemmas they still faced.

They were trapped in this world, lost to the undead. Even if a large number had become isolated and trapped underground, the surface was still plagued with shambling corpses and all of them were becoming hungrier with each passing day. They were starving, their rations diminishing each and every day. This was a double edged sword. Although they were starving and therefore weakened, they were determined now. The ghouls were no longer content with just stumbling around in aimless circles, now they were hunting.

The trio understood that, but still they realised that the sewer was no longer safe. The ghouls had a way of getting in and the escape routes were barely standing. Soon enough nothing would be able to escape these festering rotting dungeons of the old world.

They decided they needed to resurface.

* * *

Meanwhile, Mayuri returned to Soul Society in secret. He created his own senkaimon rather than using those in the courtyard. He would have been discovered if he were to use them, and then his research would all be for naught. They would destroy everything! They would ruin his greatest creations!

He would not let them! The insane researcher stepped out into his laboratory. It was quiet. He waved at his pet and allowed it space to stagger into the room. The moving corpse was still in bad condition, much like Subject B. Repairs would have to be made, but the old elixir caused unforseen problems and resurrected the patient to their state of life. Mayuri did not want that. To restore life was to negate the evolution of the being. It was the state of living death that made his subjects so powerful. It was that which was the key to their immortality.

Thankfully, he had been working on a new drug intended to restore health in the body, but preserve their immortality. Mayuri was eager to test it out, but he feared the results would be disappointing. He could not risk Subject A, not now. Not when he had progressed so far...

No, he needed a guinea pig...But collecting ghouls would cause a definite stir amongst the other shinigami and his work would be placed at serious risk of discovery. Therefore, he could not simply go out and seek a ghoul, but rather draw one into the laboratory.

"Damn, Ukitake has swept Sereitei clean of all undead...I cannot get them past the walls either...It seems I will just have to test it on you after all..." The maniacal captain studied his prototype. He took extra notice of the dull yellow fangs which were beginning to rot. A foul black ichor was secreting from his grey gums and dripped from the cracked flayed lips. It was then that Mayuri discovered a way to solve his problems...

Mayuri moved to a small monitor beside the door and ascended the stairs to the main laboratory. He was greeted by the wide-eyed stare of one of the researchers, Hiyosu. He was a sickly green creature with bulbous eyes and the outward appearance of an obese, mutated frog. His teeth, much like the captains were in full view with any semblance of lips curled back to reveal even his gums.

"Captain? Where did you come from? I never knew there was a door there!"

Mayuri smiled wickedly, "Oh, Have I never shown you? My private laboratory is just behind this wall. Would you like to see it?"

Hiyosu's flabby fingers writhed about like maggots. "Of course, of course!"

The captain led the way. "I have been developing my cure for the virus down here, away from the distractions I must face above ground. I'm sure you understand?"

"Yes, yes. Of course." Hiyosu babbled, clasping his hands together eagerly.

"By the way Hiyosu," Mayuri muttered as he opened the sealed door into the underground chamber, "Have I ever introduced you to my friend Ichigo Kurosaki?"

As soon as the portals parted a ghoul lunged for the unwary scientist. Hiyosu's eyes bulged out of his head at the sight of the ghastly creature and he screamed as the beast tackled him to the ground and proceeded to tear his blubbery throat open. Hot searing blood gushed down over his white lab-coat and his body convulsed as Ichigo tore great chunks of discoloured flesh from the body and greedily consumed them. It was a welcome meal he had not been treated to in a long while.

Mayuri cackled as his subordinate was devoured, but before long he tugged on Ichigo's leash and called him back.

"Now, now. I don't want to spoil you do I? That is enough." He led Ichigo back to his cage and locked him up while he watched Hiyosu's corpse. Rigor mortis had set in now and the fat creature had become as stiff as a plank of wood. After a few minutes his body relaxed again.

Mayuri strolled over to the corpse and watched his eyes. The pupils had dissipated and the whites had turned a foggy grey. That was a good sign. The blood had also stopped flowing, another good sign. Mayuri clasped his hands together and waited...

Soon enough, Hiyosu's fingers began to twitch.

* * *

The intrepid trio of young women scoured the sewers for a way out. Many entrances had been sealed up or destroyed, most likely by the former survivors who had thrived down there for so long. They had kept out all the undead by carefully removing all accidental passageways for them to stumble or fall through.

This made matters worse however. After hours of aimlessly trudging through the putrid filth congealing in thick pools around them they had found no possible way out. Yet that was impossible. The undead had managed to find their way in not long ago. In fact Alice and Karin had just crawled down a manhole. There had to be at least one way out!

Together they would have to find the exit, however they had easily become lost in the labyrinth of interconnected tunnels and pipes. They weren't even sure they were still under Karakura anymore. For all they knew they could have been lost somewhere under the neighbouring city. Nevertheless the three young survivors continued their search well into the night. The faint slivers of sunlight that would occasionally filter into the tunnels ceased to pour through and the sear resumed in darkness.

Rukia led the way, fumbling around with her hands while Alice tagged along behind her with Karin clinging to her sleeve. Their progress was slower in the cover of darkness and when at last they had found a patch of dry concrete in the cesspool of filth they decided to rest again for another day.

Everyone huddled close to ensure they did not get lost in the all-encompassing darkness. They slept fitfully until the light of morning gave them an excuse to rise. When at last they were awake the second day of searching commenced.

It was not until the light had taken an orange haze, like stagnant flame that they found a ladder up to the surface. It was rusted and looked quite frail, but it still stood. There were no obstructions or seals either. It was entirely untouched by the hands of man, nor the undead it would seem as the manhole cover was still on.

Rukia climbed up first, using her inhuman strength to pry the cover from its long sealed position. Filth and dirt had encrusted between the crevices and weakly glued the cover in place. After a few heaves from the shinigami girl the cover lifted. Rukia then used her shoulders to balance the heavy slab as she climbed up ever so slowly. Alice and Karin waited down below arms outstretched and ready in case Rukia fell.

When she had successfully moved it aside a pure flood of light surged in. The glowing orange light splayed across the sewer pipes and the three young women who climbed out to the surface. When at last they were out in the fresh air the girls collapsed and took it all in.

The sight of the blanket of sky, the overhanging clouds stained the colour of blood by the setting sun. The smell of rotting flesh as opposed to the smell of excrement and sewerage. The sounds of a long dead city, the symphony of silence, as opposed to the echoed groans and rippling pools of filth. It was not paradise, but it was far better than the Hellish wasteland beneath the city.

"Karakura town..." Rukia whispered. "It's so different..."

"But it still feels like home." Karin uttered under her breath.

They all took in the ruins of the once beautiful town, now laid to waste, and caught their breath. Starvation was rearing its ugly head. The survivors were very much like their undead foe now. Both hungry and wasting away. A contest to see who would be able to feed first...

"We need food," Alice muttered, "and weapons."

"Where from?" Rukia asked, "There is no-one left to help us."

Karin's eyes narrowed. "Rukia, what about that odd shop-keeper? Urahara?"

"Urahara?" Rukia seemed to ponder the name for a moment, then her eyes lit up like miniature infernos. "Of course! Urahara must be alive! He has his shelter beneath the shop and enough supplies to last us months!"

"And weapons?" Alice inquired with a raised brow.

"He's a shinigami! Of course he has weapons!" Rukia answered, a new spirit in her voice. "We have a chance...If we can find him..."

"And if he is still alive," Alice snapped back a little too quickly, dampening their spirits. She frowned and glanced off into the sunset, "I don't want to dash your hopes too quickly, but so many people have died here. He may be a shinigami, but I've seen them succumb as well." She turned to Rukia at that point and the two stared at each other in uncomfortable silence.

Rukia eventually broke the silence, still with her gaze locked on Alice. "I'm willing to take the risk. I've faced death once already. Since we're already acquainted then I have no reason to fear him." She smiled bravely and rose to her feet, inciting the youngest of the group to jump up after her.

Alice sighed and went along with them, limping through the skeletal remains of Karakura town.

The howling wind accompanied them, carrying the distant mournful cries of the dead.

* * *

Captain Ukitake sat upon his throne and stared down the messengers assembled before him. They all bowed, hunched over with their heads lowered. He found it uncomfortable but he said nothing, awaiting their reports more than ever.

"Sir, captain commander Ukitake, the undead have been entirely pushed back beyond the walls. The guards on sentry have reported dwindling numbers in their ranks to the east and the south."

"Very good." Ukitake stated simply.

"Sir, the undead have been gradually receding from the outer walls. They are returning to the rukon districts."

"Thank you."

"Sir, captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi has requested to see you."

"Very well, bring him to me." Ukitake waved away the messengers and as soon as they left he rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Are you alright captain commander?" Kiyone asked, handing him a cup of sake. There were black rings around her eyes. It seemed she too had been running herself ragged. She was only a 3rd seat before all this mess. Now she was lieutenant of the 1st squad and as such in charge of many of Soul Society's internal affairs and management.

"Kiyone, go get some rest." he muttered listlessly.

"But sir, I cannot-" she was silenced by a wave of her superior's hand.

"I can manage by myself. All I have been doing lately is sitting here while you have been wearing yourself out. You need to rest."

"But I-"

"You are of no use to me if you are tired and weak!" Ukitake snapped. "Rest. Your mind will be sharper once you wake. As of now you are relieved of your duties until further notice." Kiyone looked devastated but bowed nonetheless and made to leave, but on her way out she caught a warm smile from her captain and realised he was only looking out for her. She returned the gesture and departed to her chambers.

Ukitake gaze out upon the world that was now his and awaited his audience with Mayuri. He was eager to find how the cure was coming along. A man of Kurotsuchi's calibre should have had no troubles creating a cure by now, but with the distractions as of late Ukitake decided to forgive his delays, however he vehemently wished for some results quite soon.

He had a bad feeling about all of this, yet he couldn't explain what exactly had him so disturbed...

* * *

Mayuri bowed as he made his entry into the meeting hall of the Gotei 13. Ukitake rested upon his throne, a look of urgency evidently etched upon his features. He looked as if he had aged since he had taken up his position as captain commander, something which made Mayuri smile.

"Captain Commander, I trust you are well?"

"Well enough Mayuri. Now what is it you wanted to see me about?" Ukitake spoke coldly.

The doctor's smile only widened at the harsh response. Despite his flashing grin he forced a tone of concern, "My, my. What have I done to deserve such scorn from you commander?"

"I'm not in the mood for playing around captain Kurotsuchi. Please just give me your report and be done with it!" The commander pinched the bridge of his nose and breathed in deeply. It appeared as if this conversation was physically painful to him.

"Very well then. If you must know I have made what I believe to be a breakthrough in my search for a cure to this accursed affliction." Mayuri's hands rubbed together, the bones of his fingers crackling like a bonfire. His eyes were wide with maniacal delights and his teeth chattered as he explained, "I have developed a possible cure at last.

"Marvellous!" Ukitake beamed, a youthful colour returning to his cheeks, "That is wonderful news!"

Mayuri raised his hands to signal quiet. "Now, now, commander. Any new drug must be properly tested before being released publicly. For this I require some subjects."

"Subjects?"

"Victims of the disease my good sir. I must collect some samples to begin testing. If the results are satisfactory then we will have our cure!"

"And if they aren't?" Ukitake asked.

"Trust me, the trial will succeed! There is no cause for concern; it is a mere formality that must be adhered."

Ukitake scowled, "So you wish to round up a herd of those ghouls to use as test subjects. That is what you are asking of me?"

"Yes, commander. With your permission I would like to scout out a few samples myself, however it would be incredibly dangerous to head out alone. Could you perchance offer me a troop of guards for my journey beyond the walls?" Mayuri's smile was venomous, but his unsettling expressions were a familiar sight to Ukitake who begrudgingly agreed. He saw no more malice behind those eyes than he had ever before and so he accepted the psychopath's demands.

"Fine. I will arrange a team to support you. I shall have them waiting in the courtyard by nightfall."

The madman grinned devilishly, "Thank you captain commander!" With that he made his leave, hobbling out into the corridor. When he was far out of earshot Mayuri broke into a fit of raucous uncontrollable laughter.

Everything was moving along according to plan...

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this long overdue chapter. Please review.


	10. At Night They Shall Feed

**At Night They Feed**

As the veil of night descended over Karakura the baying hounds of death grew closer. Their pained cries grew louder, closer, more urgent. They were starving and they knew there was food nearby. Rukia darted across the abandoned streets, dodging the silent, unmoving shells of a once busy traffic area. The cars long since abandoned still sat there in the road, rusted, crumpled and ruined.

Alice led Karin close behind. They could not afford to get lost or separated, not now. Not when the dead were at their strongest. But there was no choice. There was no-where to rest, not until they found the Urahara Shoten, not until they had eaten.

Alice glanced over to her companion. Her once round youthful face was sunken in, emaciated from days of no food. Their only supplies of water had come from the off-run from rain a few days ago. The poor girl looked like one of the dead, her eyes vacant, skin as colourless as milk gone stale. Dark rings had settled around her eyes, the skin growing taut over her cheekbones so that she almost resembled a living skeleton.

Alice had to turn away, too distressed at the haunting omen she saw in her companion's appearance. She fought back a choking sob and returned her attention to their leader who picked her way through the back alleys of the town rather than manoeuvring the streets. Out in the open there was more chance of being discovered. In the alleys they could hide.

The undead operated almost like a herd. They stuck to large open spaces so as to efficiently hunt down their prey. As soon as one would wander off the others would follow, drawn by the familiar stench of blood and flesh that drove the mad. This made them easier to avoid in some cases, but once caught there is little hope of escape. Rukia knew that from experience.

_Ichigo..._

Bitter memories resurfaced and Rukia stopped dead in her tracks. Alice practically ran into her, immediately taking up an offensive stance afterwards. Rukia waved a hand at her and sighed, "Don't worry. It was nothing. I was just..."

"Thinking of Ichigo?" Karin asked.

Rukia turned to her and saw her beloved reflected in his sister's face. She bowed her head and closed her eyes, unable to answer.

It was then that they heard a loud clattering from around the corner. The commotion was soon accompanied by the howling cries of the ghouls.

* * *

Mayuri had returned to his lab with his ever present smile. He returned to his secret study and sealed the door behind him. His once faithful, observant assistant Hiyosu was now chained to the wall, his green flesh festering with boils and peeling away to reveal raw grey blubber beneath which eroded rapidly. One eye observed him and the other rolled about in his skull. His teeth were turning yellow, some falling out if not chipped and rotting. He still rubbed his flabby fingers together, grinding them down to bone now.

The madman hobbled over to an operating table and procured a syringe, filled with his latest serum. There were still several hours till nightfall so he had time to spare to play around with his toys. He drove the needle through Hiyosu's buttery flesh and drove down the plunger. He grinned as Hiyosu began to convulse, writhing about in inhuman agony. The twisted dance of pain ensued for a few minutes until the bloated creature went limp.

Mayuri took a seat and observed.

Hiyosu's horrendous wounds slowly pieced themselves back together, a lighter shade of green returning to his skin. Open wounds unravelled and like a tape on rewind returned to their original state before the necrosis.

Mayuri chuckled to himself, delighted that his drug was working as he pleased. Despite the healing process, Hiyosu's eyes were still off-centre. They still lacked any sense of direction, as empty as they were before. This was promising, thought Mayuri.

"Hiyosu, speak to me."

The creature stared at him and licked his lips, the large eyes bulging. He made a low groaning sound but spoke no words.

"Hiyosu, speak!" Mayuri commanded again.

The beast laughed, a distorted and broken sound.

"Speak!" Mayuri roared.

Hiyosu trembled and made sputtering noises. He tried to speak but only made nonsensical babbling noises like a mewling infant. His mind was undeveloped, lost forever to the virus. His body may have returned from death but his mind would be gone forever now.

A shame, he thought he had made a breakthrough...

Mayuri snarled, his face contorting in rage. His fingers cracked together as they writhed about like maggots on a carcass.

"Damn! I was so close. This is a failure! A complete failure! Man cannot evolve with the mind of a damned ape! Damn you Hiyosu! You worthless pile of lard! Die! Die and never return you blubbering fool!"

Mayuri released Ichigo, his prized possession upon the failed test subject and watched on with a fierce glare as his former researcher was torn to pieces. This time Mayuri did not stop his charge, he let him devour the wasteful creature. He let Ichigo strip him to bone, let him bury his face into Hiyosu's bloated entrails and bathe in the thick, viscous blood that spewed forth from his dismembered corpse.

There was no time left to mull over his failure now. It was almost nightfall. His cure would have to wait until later, but thankfully he had a chance now to procure enough test subjects to last him a long while indeed.

He chained Ichigo back to the wall but kicked the tattered remains of the feast over to him so that Ichigo could finish gorging himself while his master was away.

With that Mayuri left for the courtyard, unable to control his excitement. Despite his failure here, his next phase of the plan would go perfectly. In the end there was no way for him to fail, not after coming this far. He would not let ant further setbacks occur.

Soon it would be time!

* * *

The whistling winds in Karakura town became drowned out by the bestial roars of the undead. They were close enough that their shuffling feet could be heard as they scraped across the wet ground. The survivors all froze and searched for an escape route back the way they had come but the collective shrieks came from behind as well. They had swarmed the entire block while they were flitting between the back alleys. Now they were trapped in a long thin corridor, surrounded on all sides.

This was bad.

None of them were armed. With their bare hands they would only make it so far, but not far enough in this case. The streets outside were choked with rumbling corpses, a parade of the dead.

"What do we do now?" Karin whimpered.

"There's got to be a door or a window or something! Look around for something, anything we can escape through." Alice fumbled around in the dark. Karin did the same.

Rukia stood still.

"Rukia, help us! Don't just stand there!"

"No." she replied simply, her voice so soft it was barely audible over the growling horde. Slowly she began to advance upon the oncoming army. She strode purposefully, not a single tremor in her form as she moved.

"R-Rukia what are you doing?" Karin cried extending a hand out to her, yet far from reaching, "Its suicide to try and fight them here!"

Without looking back Rukia answered her. "Suicide huh? I've been there, done that. I'm sick of running. I'm sick of hiding. There is no escape from them. The only way is to fight!"

"But you'll just get yourself killed!"

"I have a second chance at life!" Rukia shouted over the rising chorus of the ghouls, "I'm not going to waste it by running around like a rat in a maze! I will protect you no matter what! I won't let anyone else die!"

"But-" Alice's comment never came out. Rukia was already rushing forward to meet the solid wall of decaying flesh before her. With a roar unlike any other she collided and a cloud of dark blood exploded out from the site of impact.

"Rukia!" her companion cried.

From beneath the ocean of blood and broken bodies a furious scream billowed out, slicing through the din of growling monsters to reach her friends, "RUN!"

They stared wordlessly as the mountain of corpses collapsed and a lone young woman climbed out shrieking like a wild animal. With her bare hands she utterly destroyed the undead horde, her fists like hammers, her nails like blades. She punched and kicked relentlessly, fighting her way through them and carving a slow and steady path through their ranks.

Karin and Alice watched on in disbelief until they could sense the presence of the rear guard closing in too tight. They knew there was no other way out and so they rushed to catch up with their friend.

"Grrrrrraaaaaaaaaagh!" The bestial roar escape Rukia's blood-flecked lips as she tore a middle aged man in half like a phone book and pounced on an old woman behind him. She clenched her fingers around the woman's throat and squeezed until the brittle bones in her neck snapped and her head rolled off from her shoulders. She then tore the head free from the body and used it to bludgeon the enclosing ghouls around her.

Alice and Karin climbed over the mountain of the dead, carefully checking to make sure the rotting stepping stones were dead for certain. When they finally caught up with her they provided supports, fighting on as best they could with only their bare hands.

Alice managed well enough on her own, her vicious high kicks shattering skulls. Karin however struggled and instead moved behind her two older guardians for protection. As Rukia and Alice felled the ghouls she stomped on their heads and ensured they would never rise again.

As the battle raged the reinforcements from the rear flank moved ever closer. They had reached the outer edges of the pools of blood and would meet their prey within only a few minutes. The difficulty of climbing over the corpses would slow them down for the time being but it would not hold them forever.

They had to move faster! They had to get out before they were overwhelmed.

"Rukia! We've done enough! We have to find shelter! If we continue to fight here much longer we will be over-run!"

"I know already!" Rukia snapped, "Get Karin to look for the shortest way out, I'll hold them off!"

"Right!" Alice snatched up the unsuspecting young girl and lifted her onto her shoulders. "Where are their ranks thinner?"

Karin scanned the sea of ghouls and felt chills run down her spine. "Uh...Uh...The...3 Three o'clock!"

Alice let her down and took a deep breath. "Right, let's get out of here!" She grabbed Karin's hand and charged, barrelling through their ranks and knocking them flat. Rukia moved along beside her cutting down the stragglers with her nails and bludgeoning those that tried to close in behind them.

They pushed through as far as they could until Karin tripped and disappeared beneath an ocean of blood and dismembered bodies.

"Karin!" Alice called out and kneeled down to search for her, mistakenly leaving Rukia alone to guard all side now. In seconds they were over-run, so close to the edge of the pack, a measly three or four rows from the end of the gauntlet only to fall short.

"It's no use! They're everywhere!"

"KEEP FIGHTING!" Rukia roared defiantly, struggling to the last, even as she was groped and cut and strangled by icy cold hands. She let out an anguished cry and flailed about with all her might desperate to get free of their hands but more and more continued to surround her, drowning her in the fetid stench of their stale breath and rotting forms.

"NO! NO, NO, NO, NO! I can't die just yet! I can't die here! I can't...Can't..."

Their faces closed in, teeth gnashing, foam and drool oozing from their flayed lips. She could feel them breathing on the nape of her neck, on her arms and legs and torso. She felt their teeth poking her skin.

It was over.

Karin's cries had gone soft as well and Alice was screaming fitfully as she tried to fight off her pursuers, but there were just too many. Fighting was all they could do and it still wasn't enough. Escaping only ever brought them pain. Retreat meant leaving others behind.

Her second chance at life was to be over before it even began...

Rukia closed her eyes. At first there was darkness, but then burning flashes of light exploded through her vision. Even with her eyes closed she could see vibrant flashed of orange and white and red. Intense heat scorched her body and Rukia winced. It was excruciating. She could not stand it. What on earth was happening? Was this Hell?

"Rukia!"

Small hands closed around her, then another pair, as large as dinner plates. She felt herself become weightless as she was lifted up high onto someone's shoulders. She overheard the mechanical roar of gunfire, like a thunderstorm on fast forward.

The growls grew distant, then vanished. The only sounds were sobbing and panting breaths.

Rukia could not open her eyes. The flash of the explosions had momentarily blinded her. Soon enough she was laid down upon something soft. She heard hushed voices whispering, then an unmistakeable clattering of clogs on a wooden floor. She recognised that sound, a noise familiar to her from her past life.

She opened her eyes but everything was blurred. She could not make out much. All she could see was the colour green...

* * *

When all seems lost, a saviour arrives. Meanwhile, Mayuri's nefarious machinations are approaching completion. Just what is he planning? Find out in the next thrilling chapter!

Now please review. Your support is what keeps this story alive. 


	11. The Realm Beyond Death

**The Realm Beyond Death**

Don't worry I'm not dead just yet! It's been way too long, but here is the next chapter, forgive my lateness. Please review!

* * *

Fog descended in thick blankets across the courtyards of the 13th squad's barracks. Night's blackened clouds draped across the sky and obscured all that was not bathed in the light of lanterns and torches.

Twenty low ranked scouts stood to attention, awaiting the arrival of their field commander. All of them had been drafted from the other squads as a personal guard and assistants for the latest venture beyond the wall. Beyond the great stone walls the dead bayed for blood and howled like crazed animals. They scraped and clawed at the wall from morning until night until their fingers were left as mangled stumps. Dark blood soaked into the stone amidst powdered bone and sinewy scraps of tissue. The smell was revolting and when the wind blew in towards Sereitei the stench would carry over the wall and bring sickness and plague to those within.

As much as the general public wanted to stay away regular forays beyond the wall were necessary. Scouts had to monitor the populations and report back any new findings to Mayuri Kurotsuchi and his research bureau.

Rarely did Mayuri venture out of his laboratory on these expeditions but this time Mayuri was personally heading into the field. This time he had a most dangerous mission – he needed live test subjects.

All members of the group were nervous and rightfully so. The undead had cost a great number of their comrades, many of which were still on the other side of the wall moaning and wailing in their unholy hunger.

Mayuri approached his squadron and grinned from ear to ear, or at least where his ears used to be before he amputated them long ago out of idle boredom. The madman licked his marbled teeth and clapped his hands.

"Thank you all for coming ladies and gentlemen. I know this is an unfavourable and dangerous task but I must procure some live samples of the undead so that I may perform my trials upon them. If all goes well my cure may be ready within a few weeks. However I cannot release anything until I have performed the necessary trials and properly tested my vaccine. For this noble reason I need your help."

A few murmurs ran through the crowd but it did little to remove the unsettled atmosphere among the scouts. Mayuri was overly excited despite this, in fact their fear only made him more overjoyed about his expedition.

_Terrified...Each and every one of them. This will be too easy!_

"Alright, now move out to the ramparts. We must find a suitable location to land."

As instructed the group vanished in the blink of an eye. They stood expectantly upon the wall, many glancing down into the indecipherable sea of writhing bodies beneath them. At night they were more dangerous, seemingly driven on by the darkness. They became more lethargic in sunlight, unmotivated to hunt and simply stumbling about aimlessly. But under the cover of darkness some primal energy wells up within them and the undead become voracious predators.

_A midnight snack is all they need..._

The madman studied the swarm and found a clearing further down the wall several hundred metres away. He quietly instructed his team to follow, however he neglected to inform them of the ghouls encircling the clearing on all sides.

_There is no need to frighten them any more than this. It shall work in my favour to keep them somewhat alert. _

"We shall drop down there," he explained, pointing with a skeletal finger, "Stay in close formation as you land and be careful not to make sudden movements. Remain calm and stake out your prey. Remember that your weapons can only incapacitate them but I don't want to be handling mincemeat. I prefer my subjects to be ambulatory. Use binding spells if you can to keep them intact and only use force when absolutely necessary. And finally I require ten subjects so I want you all to pair up and so each pair will be responsible for one specimen. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir!" The little toy soldiers said in unison. With that they leapt down into the clearing, into the danger zone.

The dead had paid no heed, uninterested in the invaders. They dead were downwind so that the scent of the living would not be carried down to them.

For a few more minutes...

Mayuri stood in the centre of the tight circular formation and chuckled under his breath. He watched the moon and waited for the sign. "Hold steady." he instructed. "Now, I want three pairs to seek out their subject and return here. The others shall remain on guard at all times and I will not send out any more teams until the first unit has returned. Now go."

Thankfully with all his scouts close-by Mayuri did not have to throw his voice. He was in a dangerous position here as well and to sabotage everything so close to fruition would be foolish. He would not leave here without his subjects.

The clouds rolling across the moon slowed their pace and came almost to a standstill.

The winds changed.

The clouds moved backward now retracing their path through the sky. The scent of fresh meat wafted over the undead at the rear flank of the swarm. Hundreds of heads turned on creaking joints and empty eyes lit up with fearsome determination.

Perfect.

Mayuri forced a look of concern and ordered his first team to hurry. The scouts did as told and captured three straggling ghouls far from the swarm. They returned to the fold and waited while the next three units were dispatched. Meanwhile the others became further disturbed by the main body of the undead now turning towards them.

"Do not worry; we have time left to get out of here before the swarm reaches us. Even at night their locomotion is painfully slow, walking pace at best. We are at a safe distance and shall be gone before they get too close. But do not delay. I only say we will make it under the assumption that you work quickly." Mayuri grinned menacingly, relishing in the draining colour in his squadron's faces. Fear and doubt consumed them and all eyes turned to the oncoming horde while the second wave of scouts returned.

The third unit fanned out and claimed their subjects.

That was nine ghoulish creatures ready for extraction. Only one more necessary.

Mayuri looked to the last pair, a young woman with pigtails and a man with slick brown hair. They each nodded to one another before setting out towards a small cluster of animated corpses. Just as they neared their target Mayuri's grin grew unnaturally wide but only for the briefest moment before shifting into a mortified frown.

"Wait!" He roared across the plain, garnering the attention of every undead creature beyond the wall.

The two young scouts spun on their heels in a panic, staring at their mentor. They forgot entirely about the encroaching undead, even as their shadows fell upon them. Only when death's cold hand clamped down on their frames did they cry out in fear and attempt to fight back, but it was already too late.

The girl squealed like a slaughtered pig as her throat was torn open by mangled jaws. Blood gushed down over her breasts which were torn apart by clawed hands. She collapsed in a heap as the dead converged on her and her partner who managed to strike down three or four of the ghouls before he was overwhelmed.

The sudden deaths of their companions shook the others to the core and all of them watched on in absent-minded terror as the bloodbath ensued. In their distracted states their own captives, who were given plenty of time to recuperate were more than able to slaughter them.

Mayuri hastily opened a senkaimon and ordered his troops retreat. As they struggled towards the light Mayuri gracefully decimated the nine 'subjects' and pushed his scout units through the gate. The first victims were long gone, stripped to their bones by now and no longer salvageable. The others however were still useful.

"How many wounded?" he demanded, receiving a groaned or cry from all eighteen troops. The madman let loose a frustrated groan, "Damn! How could this have happened? Do not worry I shall bring you all to the fourth squad immediately. We can surely save you all!"

The fools all bought his tirade. Of course there was no way to save them now. The infection had already spread deep within their veins and would be rapidly shutting down their organs and bodily systems. Their flesh would discolour and rot and their brains will stop sending any impulses. Within an hour they would all be clinically dead.

Within a few more hours they would rise.

But these fools, delusional from blood loss, pain and fear disregarded all their extensive presentations. All their lessons on quarantine and handling of the infected. All of it was forgotten for in their hour of need desperation held precedence. Even if they remembered their lessons somewhere in the back of their minds they all kept quiet, eager to stay alive rather than be disposed of like some feral animal. Of course there was no way fourth squad could treat them and even if there was they would not lay a hand on these pitiful creatures.

_How desperate they are to cling onto their little lives...Adorable little insects scrambling towards the light even when they know it is out of reach. So very funny!_

The end of the senkaimon led into a wide open space. A row of cages lined up against both walls, ten on each side. Mayuri stepped out before his wounded scouts could stagger past him and pressed a black button against the wall. Each cage's door opened in unison.

"Please step in here," Mayuri spoke sympathetically, as if the very words hurt him, "I'm so terribly sorry but precautions dictate you be held in these cells until we have administered your treatments."

In their delirious panicked states the fools all crawled into their holding cells and waited as the doors slammed shut. Slim hopes of rescue and attention kept a vague spark of life amongst them and so they looked around, anticipating floods of medics to rush in and treat their wounds.

Instead they could only watch on as Mayuri turned off the lights and walked away. His laughter echoed throughout the chamber long after he had gone.

In the darkness they threw themselves at their prisons, screaming and cursing and crying and pleading.

"Help us!"

"Where are you going?"

"Save us!"

"Get us out of here!"

Some tried to calm the others, optimistically foreseeing their captain rushing off to find the fourth squad and getting help. They soothed the troubled minds with projections of dreams that would be left unresolved. Tensions only rose once again and the cacophony resumed more violently than before.

Every last burst of energy expended, wounds opened wider, new wounds added. Bodies lying broken and mangled in the melee. Their struggle was over.

In the darkness they sobbed, overhearing the strangled cries of those who choked on their own blood and bile. Others vomited all over themselves, the fetid pools spreading into the neighbouring cage only to arouse whimpers and soft yelps from the others. Some tried to make the pain go away faster, bashing their heads against the bars. The loud rattling thuds would become less frequent, then stop while only the chorus of mourning played on through the night.

By the time the first light of day broke over the land all was quiet in the chamber.

But as the sun rose, so too did the corpses.


	12. Recovery

**Recovery**

****To make up for making you wait for so damn long please enjoy another chapter. Remember to review!

* * *

Sunlight streamed through Alice's eyes and she pried them open, only to be momentarily blinded. A window high up on the timber wall allowed a rift of bright light into the large room. It was simply furnished with tatami mats spread across a bamboo floor. Several futons were spread around her.

With great effort she propped herself up on her elbows and studied the still resting people beside her.

To her left, Karin lay curled up in a ball. Her small fingers dug into the futon, tearing it in some places. Her teeth were grinding together and her eyes were squeezed so tightly shut they may have been pushed back into her head.

Nightmares.

They were inescapable, especially for a child living through such horrors. Alice had managed to steel herself against the worst of her ordeal but even she faced violent night terrors as she lay down to sleep on whatever rare occasion allowed her the luxury. Not that is was much of a luxury. She was as afraid of her own dreams as she was the nightmarish reality she was forced to face.

She had managed with her fears as best she could and maintained her sanity thus far, but Karin suffered every time she closed her eyes. Memories of all of her family being torn apart flashed through her mind over and over. Images of her twin sister Yuzu, skull cracked open like a melon, wide eyes staring even as they spilled out of her shattered face. Blood and slimy grey stuff seeping down what remained of her head. She had been shot to death by her older brother Ichigo, who had also bludgeoned his father. He was only doing it to protect his family; Karin had known but even so the sights she bore witness to would haunt her for the rest of her life...

However long that may be...

Even Ichigo had been taken away from her. However he was not really dead. He was still moving around somewhere. He was still lurking out there somewhere, hunting and feeding and preying upon whatever scraps of meat he found. His skin had gone a hideous grey and his eyes were sunken in and clouded over like frosted glass, his teeth rotten and black, gums bleeding much like the many porous open wounds all over his crippled body.

But he was still alive!

That only frightened Karin more. His smile, now a disfigured monstrosity haunted her dreams too, a fresh addition to her traumatic experiences.

Alice truly sympathised with the child. How she could still put on a brave face each day and keep on going...She was far braver than any other person she had ever met.

A sad smile crossed Alice's features. She felt like she had aged ten years in just a few months. She didn't want to look at herself in the mirror, certain she would look just like the walking dead she was fighting against. Her hair was a deep amber colour before the mess but she had seen grey clumps fall out in her times of stress. Even if she survived this mess she would surely look like a haggard old witch in the end...

But then the apocalypse was never meant to be easy...

Even death wasn't an escape.

Rukia lay to her right. Honestly she had never thought to see Rukia ever again, having watched her die at the Karakura high school. It had been the place of their final stand against the undead hordes when it had first happened what felt like an eternity ago. They had fought valiantly but it was a losing battle that was bound to end in tragedy.

As the dead had broken through every last barrier they had put in place and when morale was at its lowest they had huddled in a tiny classroom fearing the inevitable end. Rukia had been cradling her close friend, Abarai Renji, whom had been killed in the fight against the monstrous horde. They never saw it coming, not until it was too late. Not until Renji had sunk his fangs deep into her neck.

Alice had watched the blood flow in thick rivulets down her chest. She had seen her eyes roll back, her skin go pale. She had watched Rukia die.

And then months later, just when Alice was about to fall victim to a ghoul with a still beating heart, she had appeared. A grim spectre of death, she looked just like those monsters, but her strength was incredible. She had saved Alice then, though she wasn't sure whether she was genuinely rescuing her or had just not noticed she was there. Alice assumed it was the latter.

Still, Rukia was there. She was a zombie, no doubt about it.

And yet there she was lying right next to her, an angelic smile, so perfectly human.

That psychopath with the painted face had done something to Rukia. He's cured her. He had brought her back to life! And yet he had discarded her in disgust while dragging a rotting, disgusting corpse named Ichigo around like a pet.

That man wanted slaves. He wanted to create some kind of monster that would conquer the world for him. He had made Rukia human and so she had refused. She was useless to that madman but she was a priceless ally to Alice and Karin. With another warrior in their ranks they stood a little more chance of surviving.

_Surviving..._

Last she remembered, Alice was sure she was going to die. She had faced death many times but it was then that she really believed it was the end.

So where the Hell was she and why wasn't she dead?

She was bandaged up in many places. In fact there were more bandages on her than clothes. But that wasn't saying much since she was completely naked. She felt a slight heat in her cheeks and bashfully drew her sheets over her bare body.

"There's no need to be embarrassed. I've seen enough women in my time so you're nothing special."

Alice blushed more, though part of her was angry. "Was that supposed to make me feel better or insult me?"

"Whichever you choose, I suppose. Make of it what you will." A tall man approached her. Ragged blonde hair spilled out from under a silly looking striped hat that covered his eyes. He wore thick sandals like samurais of old and a dark green kimono. He smiled at her in a way that seemed kind yet patronising all at the same time.

"Who are you and where am I?" Alice snarled, her fists clenching in anticipation. Last time she was saved by some kind stranger he tried to rape her and hack her up into little pieces. She sure as Hell wasn't falling for that mistake ever again.

"Relax," he cooed, somehow picking up on her concealed aggression, "I mean you no harm. None of you were bitten so I have no need to chop off your heads!" He laughed at that but Alice didn't even smile. "My name is Kisuke Urahara and this is my shop!" he waved around as if showing off a prize on a game show.

"This is a shop?" Alice asked in a slur, "There aren't any shelves..."

Urahara laughed to himself again, "Well I cleared out most of our stock to build the barrier so it's pretty bare at the moment. But I don't mind. I haven't had a customer in months." He laughed again, by himself as usual.

"What happened?"

"Well everyone turned into zombies all of a sudden so-"

"I meant why am I here? Stop being a smart-ass and answer me!"

The man frowned and brought a little folding fan up over his lips. When he moved it away he was smirking. "You're quite a fiery young woman. No wonder you've made it this far. But I guess you don't feel any need for flattery right now. You want answers-"

"Yes, answers you aren't giving. Get to the damn point!"

With a sigh, Urahara began to explain, "Well I haven't sensed much life in this place for some time now. You get the occasional group stumbling by but they never last. They either head underground or hole up somewhere in the neighbourhood and try to fight. They are noisy to say the least but not for very long. Soon enough I don't feel anything again."

Alice was really beginning to hate this man. She made sure he could sense that.

"Anyway," he went on, "I noticed something nearby. A shinigami, actually a few of them. It's been a long time but I recognised them instantly. Mayuri has been ducking in and out of this world for a while now so that wasn't a surprise, but the other one...Well needless to say I fell off my chair."

Alice noticed there were no chairs in the shop.

"Rukia Kuchiki died. I felt that. I was terribly upset about that. I've had a fair share of customers in my time but she was my favourite. We were good friends so it was a terrible loss for me. That was why...When I felt her presence once again I just couldn't resist investigating. It's a good thing I did; she would have died a second time if I hadn't crossed your path."

"So you're the one who saved us? And you brought us back here..."

"Well it wasn't just me. I have my own little army here in my shop."

As if on cue several strangers entered the room through a sliding panel door at the far end. One was a giant of a man with thick muscles that bulged out of his shoddy staff uniform which had been torn in many places, no doubt from many hard battles. His eyes were hidden behind thick glasses and his smile concealed behind a thick beard but somehow Alice could feel him smiling if only slightly. Behind him, cowering behind his tree-trunk legs was a tiny girl. She must have only been around Karin's age but she appeared to be awfully weak. Unlike Karin, not all girls were made of steel. Her large eyes were moist with tears and a trembling line of a mouth seemed to shift between a forced smile and a frown.

"These are my comrades," Urahara beamed, pointing at them with his folded up fan, "This is Tessai and Ururu."

The two bowed politely and sat down away from the group as if they were afraid of Alice.

"Tessai over there managed to carry you all back without any troubles and Ururu was the one who wiped out the whole darn horde of those nasty monsters."

Alice raised her brows, "Her?" Even just looking over in her direction made the girl cower in fear.

"Oh yes! She may be very shy but she's a deadly shot! And besides, it doesn't matter how scared you are when you've got the weapons we have." Urahara waved his fan at the wall behind Alice which held a set of shelves holding all sorts of weapons. There were guns and swords and something big wrapped up in white cloth.

"We used to have a lot more but after so long we're beginning to run low on supplies. This is the last of our stock so unfortunately we will be forced to leave after a while." The eccentric store-owner seemed downhearted then but all Alice saw were guns blazing. After facing the undead scourge bare-handed Alice had never been more excited to see a weapons cache, especially one that big.

"So, who might you be young lady? I'm already familiar with your friends here, but I've never seen you before. You aren't Japanese are you?"

"American." Alice replied, "It all started there. I thought I could escape. Instead I brought it with me. Sorry about that..."

"Oh it was bound to happen. Diseases like that would have spread eventually anyway, but I doubt we could have prepared for it whether we had been warned or not. The apocalypse is inevitable, of course that isn't to say that we have to give in!"

Alice liked Urahara a lot more now.

"If you wouldn't mind...Could we fight with you?" she asked gently.

"Of course! The more hands on deck, the faster we can sail past the River Styx!"

Their conversation stopped abruptly when Rukia and Karin began to stir.

* * *

Mayuri approached the hall of the captain commander. A trail of blood left splattered stains behind him. He had dug his razor-sharp talons through his own flesh to appear wounded. He made sure none of his self-inflicted wounds looked like bite marks, for that would have been problematic. When he was satisfied he made his way to the hall, limping after intentionally dislocating his left knee-cap. He dragged the useless limb behind himself as he collapsed through the doors and tumbled into Ukitake's throne room.

The silver-haired commander looked down upon Mayuri with wide eyes, his jaw dropping in shock as he rushed towards him.

_A remarkable performance. I will make sure to reward myself later..._

"Captain Kurotsuchi! My god, what happened?" The gentle and kind warrior helped Mayuri into a seated position.

"T-Those damned ghouls..." Mayuri rasped, blood trickling down his chin. He had sliced the inside of his cheek just enough to fill his mouth with blood, for theatrical purposes of course. "They are getting smarter...We underestimated them..."

"No...We never even thought of this. How could the infection have mutated so?"

"Forgive me, captain commander...For not having an answer right now...But please...understand..."

"Of course, of course. Come now, Mayuri. You need help!" Ukitake tried to lead his companion to the helping hands of squad four but Mayuri held back.

"Please...I need to work on the cure!"

"What? But you didn't get any-"

"There were other survivors." Mayuri gasped, "I did not know they had been bitten...I brought them back. They turned on me, but I have them sealed away now. As sad as it may be...Those valiant soldiers...Their sacrifice must not be in vain! I can use them...To...To..."

"Very well, I understand but I cannot let you die when you are so close to the answer! You must go to the infirmary and-"

"Send someone...From fourth squad, to my quarters. They can treat me there...If you so insist." Mayuri stared at Ukitake with eyes burning with spirit and determination. He painted a magnificent facade of a man who refused to give in. Once again his hidden acting talents worked perfectly.

Ukitake rose to his feet, helping his friend up and then led him to the door where a guard stood by to take over. "Very well. I shall have them meet you in your quarters immediately. Just don't push yourself too hard doctor Kurotsuchi. I know we are all wishing for an answer to this horrible situation...But, we believe in you. I know you can bring an end to this nightmare! I know how hard you have been working and I don't want you to wear yourself out. Especially after facing such awful circumstances. Please just rest for a while."

Mayuri nodded weakly and limped away under the arms of two guards.

Ukitake watched him go with a grave expression. As strange as he was, Mayuri stood as Soul Society's only hope of ever finding a cure to the infection. The threat of losing such a brilliant scientist and ultimately their only hope for any future at all was terrifying to say the least.

But there was a ray of hope regardless of the grave situation. According to Mayuri, he had made a breakthrough. According to Mayuri, it was almost time...

Time to build a new world...


	13. Monstrous Birth

**Monstrous Birth**

Mayuri allowed the grunt from fourth squad to heal his injuries. They were only flesh wounds and nothing too sinister in comparison the doctor's idle physical experimentations over the years. It was over rather quickly, leaving the young healer to feel rather accomplished. Mayuri gave them a vague word of thanks and sent them off, watching the child leave with an intent stare.

As soon as the young warrior was gone Mayuri swiftly retired to his laboratory. Hidden away under the grounds of the main laboratory stood Mayuri's secret lair where his most prized possession awaited. The Adam of the new world, Ichigo Kurosaki.

His decay was accelerating and he was in dire need of sustenance. His skin had turned a vile blue colour; the veins under his torn, peeling papery flesh now coal black. His eyes appeared to be shrivelling and drying out, the blind white orbs staring at nothing. His skin clung to his bones and made him look like a walking skeleton. Everything about him managed to repulse even the maniacal scientist but the prospect of his success made it worth looking at the horrendous monstrosity his little pet had become.

But first, a trial was needed.

The eighteen test subjects in the back room had been unusually silent, a worrying prospect but Mayuri fearlessly tread through the door and studied the onslaught inside.

Some had turned, but not all of them. Some had managed to fight off the infection, either by remembering their training or simply going mad from the pain and fear. Whatever the reason there were scattered corpses no longer to rise left to rot in their cages. Young men with skulls split like melons. Women with faces turned to pulp, marring their once youthful looks.

As infuriating and foolish it may have been Mayuri couldn't help but admire their spirit for taking their own lives for the sake of their pride. It took a substantial amount of courage to attempt such acts even if they were idiotic.

As for the other ten captives, their parched roars and wheezing moans created a grim chorus which brought a smile to Mayuri's twisted features. Even if it wasn't the full batch of twenty he had hoped for it was still a good sample range. He would make sure to use them well.

It was simple to do his work. He dangled a finger or hand or clump of flesh from one of the dead over the door of an occupied cage and the shambling ghouls would press their bodies against their confines in a mindless attempt to escape. From there it was simple to administer injections or feed them his various elixirs.

When all his trial medicines were administered he left the baying hounds in the dark and impatiently anticipated his results.

* * *

The noise had stirred the two resting patients in the Urahara Shoten and soon enough two pairs of dry crusted eyes were sizing up the familiar strangers before them. Tessai immediately left the room and the young girl, Ururu moved to assist the others in rising up into a seated position.

Urahara stared hard at Rukia, a hint of terror in his eyes.

"You're alive." He uttered simply, posing it as more of a question than a statement.

Rukia glanced up and nodded.

"How is that so?"

Rukia blinked.

The room fell silent.

"How?" he repeated, stressing the word.

"I...I don't know." Rukia explained, crestfallen. "I simply woke up. I barely remember anything of what happened. All I know is I died back at the school...Then I woke up again..."

"That shouldn't be possible. You should have risen as one of 'them'."

"She did." Alice snapped, prompting all eyes in the room to fall on her. "Some creepy clown-looking guy was using her as a pet."

"Clown?" Urahara raised his brow.

Rukia bowed her head and snarled, "Mayuri!" The suddenly subdued store owner nodded at the mention of that name and his expression grew ashen.

"So he is behind all of this. I should have known. But why did he bring you back and then dump you back here?"

"Because I wasn't willing to play his games." Rukia's gaze burned beneath a messy fringe of black hair. "He wanted a plaything, a toy that he could manipulate. I only just remember seeing him when I first woke up. He looked so happy to see me until I spoke out against him. I can't recall what happened next but Alice and Karin were with me then."

"The bastard just dumped her in the sewer!" Alice roared, slamming her fist against the bamboo mat beneath her. "Worst of all, he has Ichigo!"

Urahara's eyes shot open in shock. The folding fan fluttering about in his hand clattered to the floor and his jaw fell agape if only for a moment before he forced himself to recover.

"Kurosaki...So he plans on resurrecting him, but he wants him to still be subservient to him. Talk about playing god..."

Alice scratched her head, reminiscing the nightmare of her first reunion with the rotting animated corpses of Ichigo and Rukia. "Mayuri...He said something about creating a new race...Ichigo and Rukia were supposed to be the Adam and Eve of a 'new world'..."

Urahara sighed, "I wouldn't put it past him. As brilliant a researcher he is I was always wary of him. I never thought he would go this far though. Even with his...Unusual ideas he never had the gall to do something so awful."

"You mean he's on _your_ side?" Alice cried.

"Of course. He was a comrade in a life now past. But with his current actions we have no choice but to sever our ties and put an end to this!"

Rukia, whom had been deep in thought for a while suddenly shot up, moving so suddenly that everyone in the room was startled into a state of heightened alert. When they realised it was only Rukia their stances softened and they all calmed down.

Rukia approached Urahara and spoke in a voice grounded in unshaken determination, "Urahara, I need you to open a senkai gate."

"You're going after Ichigo aren't you?" he asked. Rukia didn't need to respond. The answer was clear already. Urahara crossed his arms and sighed. "Very well, but only after you rest." The young warrior was about to protest but Kisuke cut her off with a raised hand, "You only just narrowly escaped death. I may have healed your wounds but you are still weak. If you insist on going then you must rest and eat. Gather your strength and we shall depart for Soul Society together."

Rukia wanted so much to refuse and head off at that very moment, but it dawned on her that Mayuri surely wouldn't go down easily. He was a captain after all. And he had a zombified Ichigo at his beck and call. Who knew what sick experiments he had conducted on the poor boy in her absence.

There was no other choice.

With a relented sigh Rukia sat back and waited as Tessai brought in a tray of tea for the group. He then brought in steaming hot meals for their guests.

Everyone ate in tense silence.

Outside, the grumbling chorus of the undead grew louder...

* * *

Several hours after their dosage, Mayuri returned to monitor the results of his labour. Even behind the closed door he could hear some screaming frenziedly. The madman stepped through into the testing area and ran his gaze across the cages.

The body closest to him had had no effect whatsoever. He looked the same, a grey shambling hunk of dead meat. Mayuri shook his head and looked to the closest cell on the other side of the room. The ghoul had collapsed and expelled an unknown black fluid from all bodily orifices. It did not move, certainly it was dead for good now. The next two cages in that row were also devoid of life now. One had torn himself apart in some animalistic frenzy. The other had simply gone to sleep for eternity.

On the other side of the room one had mutated. What was once a woman had now become a hideous creature with cancerous growths all over her body, swelling to immense size and then bursting, oozing a sickly pale fluid from them. The cell beside her was occupied by a ghoul gone mad. The beast threw itself against the bars of the cell, howling madly. Behind him another was uncontrollably restless being confined. It had begun to feast upon itself in its unsatiated desire for food.

Three other subjects remained. They all bore the resemblance of a healthy being, aside from black ringed eyes, shrivelled lips and skeletal frames. They were almost human it seemed. As Mayuri approached they all sat on their haunches for a moment before steadily rising up to their full heights. They stood to attention like soldiers, seemingly unperturbed by their captivity.

"Captain Kurotsuchi, where are we?"

"What happened to us?"

"What's going on here?"

Speech. Motor skills. Healthy demeanour, human appearance. They had succeeded thus far, moving beyond the spectacular failure of that blubbering Hiyosu, his former assistant. However there was one more hurdle to be crossed before he could be fully satisfied.

Obedience...

"I shall explain but first let us get you out of these cages. Sit."

Upon that single directive they all sat down without question. Mayuri ordered them to go through a short series of instructions, much like a physical exam for patients in the infirmary. When they had done so without fail Mayuri opened their cages and allowed them to assemble before him.

Mayuri pointed to the girl covered in tumours. He pointed with a skeletal finger and commanded with a rasping whisper, "Kill her."

He watched on as they systematically tore her apart, ambushing the helpless girl, snapping her neck, holding her down while they gnawed away at her barely exposed neck and ultimately pulled it free, offering it as a prize to their master.

Mayuri's grin consumed him and he clapped his hands in delight.

It was finally time.

* * *

While the others were feasting Urahara began preparations for the senkai gate. A normal gate could be opened in seconds, but to create one fit to allow humans passage was another thing altogether. Urahara had made such portals before and so he was well aware that the time needed to create one was not on his hands, at least not with the dead growing restless and hungry.

Whether it was the smell of actual food that drew them to the barricade or simply the scent of humans they were amassing outside the store, moaning in a fitful chorus of pain and longing. Those creatures were all once regular human beings.

Now they were slavering, blood-thirsty monsters.

If Mayuri indeed caused all of this then Urahara felt a strong urge to personally punish the psychopathic zealot himself.

The idea of a choice was becoming slimmer as the dead beat their fists against the blockade which consisted of rubble and burnt out cars. It wouldn't be long before they break through it, the barrier had been standing for months now and surely it would not hold forever. Little by little Kisuke had seen it crumble, had seen the cracks grow...

Escape would be necessary. Karakura town was lost. There was no shred of that thriving city anymore, only a desolate wasteland inhabited by the walking dead.

Perhaps Soul Society was the only safe haven now?

As Kisuke Urahara mused over his predicament the stammering young girl, Ururu scuttled up beside him to make her report.

"T-The monsters...They're going to...To..."

"Break through?" Urahara finished for her. "I assumed as much. Prepare your weapons. I want you and Tessai to hold the barrier while I open the senkaimon. Make sure to arm our guests too. Have them set up a line of support fire from the store front."

"Yes sir!" The young girl bowed her head and smile thinly.

Urahara continued to lay out the plan. "Alright, now when the fighting becomes too much I want you all to fall back down here. As far as I know those ghouls don't know how to use ladders so they will simply fall. That way you can easily defeat them. By then I should have the gate open and ready, ok?"

"Yes sir!" she smiled once again as Urahara placed a mock army helmet on her head and saluted the youngster. She giggled as she returned the gesture, and then scrambled up the ladder of the attic to return to the store.

Kisuke admired his 'attic' with a sidelong glance. The entire area had been set up as a training space for shinigami. However the wasteland down here bore too much of a resemblance to Karakura town now. It only made the pain worse. The bright blue painted sky and it's permanently affixed clouds brought a rare glimpse of colour to Urahara's life.

"Ah, it's a shame to see it go..." He closed his eyes and sighed a deep sigh before returning to his work.

Up above he could hear rattling and banging.

Soon enough he heard screams and gunfire.

* * *

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	14. Face The Tide

**Face the Tide**

Alice studied her tired eyes in the reflection of the cold piece of steel in her hands. A large assault rifle, an M4 Carbine. The polished black steel showed sunken blood-shot eyes. Alice groaned, realising each and every day she was looking more like _them. _No sleep, no food, always running and fighting...

It was wearing her down.

But now wasn't the time to be fussing over such things. The dead were right at the barrier now, crawling up the makeshift wall and finding any little hole to get through. They would break through at any moment now.

It was time to do what she had grown to know well. Fight!

Karin sat a few metres away from her, leaning against a wooden beam for support while she inspected the P90 in her grasp. She gave a cautionary glance to her companion and the two offered thin smiles. They had been through this enough times to have become a little accustomed to it, not enough to stave off the nightmares, but enough to hold a weapon still and take aim at the horde. Enough to keep one's mind on track. Enough to survive this far...

While they took up their instructed positions on either side of the wide sliding panel door of the shop, Tessai moved to the barricade, seemingly desiring to fight them with his bare hands. Ururu bowed to the guest with untimely grace before rushing off to the barricade all the while hefting the large bandage-bound object.

Rukia stood in the middle ground, an M4 in her hands, a katana at her waist and a combat shotgun slung around her waist. She stood unnaturally still, poised for attack like a wild animal, a predator watching its prey...Waiting for the right time to strike.

"They're breaking through!" Ururu called out, a serious tone to her voice never showed before.

Within seconds the barrier collapsed, a rusted car with traces of lime yellow paint had collapsed from the centre, rolling out and bringing down the upper level of the barrier with it. It was only a short gap but it was enough for the undead horde.

They clambered over by the dozen, scrambling over each other to reach the red meat on the other side.

Ururu nodded gravely and shouldered the object which was almost the same size as her thin frame. Even while facing the brunt of the ghouls the girl showed no fear, not even a tremor. Without a word she dug her feet into the ground and tensed up.

In the next moment a blinding white flash consumed the world. When the haze faded a mountain of dismembered human wreckage remained amidst the broken barrier. With the bandages now blown away Alice could see the girl was wielding some kind of rocket launcher more suited to being mounted onto the back of a truck or a tank than on the shoulders of a tiny young girl.

Nonetheless the swarm had diminished upon the front-lines.

While Ururu reloaded her strange weapon Tessai stood by her side and crushed anything which limped, crawled or rolled anywhere near him and his comrade. Meanwhile Alice and Karin took to the fight, providing cover fire. Rukia darted aside to give the support their clear shots. While hiding off to the side Rukia mowed down those that broke free from the pack and made it through the barrier, however she failed to notice the barrier give way behind her.

A rotting grey hand clamped around her ankle and Rukia cried out in fright and drove her toe through the gaping maw reaching ever closer. The empty skull shattered under the thunderous blow and disintegrated. Rukia swivelled around and unleashed every last bullet in her clip to stave off the sea of dead creatures. Their corpses tumbled over one another and built up a clammy pile of debris. The others were slowed down by having to climb over, giving Rukia enough time to bring her shotgun around and fire off a blast into the crowd.

At such close range the blast was devastating, throwing the ghoul's torn bodies back into the crowd and sending them stumbling and tripping back into the horde outside.

"Rukia!" Alice's voice cut through the thunderous roar of gunfire. "Behind you!"

A group of stragglers from the main breach in the barrier had encircled her. Rukia ducked low and swung her feet out to shatter knee caps and knock the ghouls down. When she had them on the ground she used the butt of her M4 to hammer in their skulls. While she did so Alice and Karin shot down the zombie pouring in from either side of her.

"Rukia, fall back!" Alice commanded providing cover fire while the shinigami girl dashed back to the storefront.

Ururu had finally reloaded her weapon and skipped back a few paces to get a better shot before unleashing another hail of fire upon the ghastly wave of flesh and bone. While she made her retreat Tessai used brute force to destroy those already breaking through the gap where the front line once stood.

Amidst the smoke and dust the others could barely see what was going on. They could only hear Tessai roar like a lion and hear the jarring crack of bones being split apart.

It was then that they saw it.

A flash of silver through the dust, cutting through like a blade.

Before they could warn him Tessai was knocked down by a heavy blow to the head by a thick silver bat. A small boy stood over the fallen giant and once again raised the bat.

"Jinta?" Ururu whispered from the sidelines. She stopped reloading her launcher and became transfixed on the battle.

"Hey! Ururu, you've got to load that thing before they reach us! Hey! Are you even listening to me?" Alice reached out to slap the girl but Ururu blocked it with ease without even looking away from the fight. "H-Hey...What are you-"

The small child sprang up onto her feet and charged into the heart of the feud unarmed. Just like Tessai, she too managed to possess inhuman strength, pummelling the dead with her small pale fists. The one she had called Jinta noticed her approach and swung the bat with arms that were unnaturally thick for his body size. His red hair had been falling out in patches leaving a yellowish scalp beneath. His eyes unlike the majority of the ghouls were a sickly green colour as if pus had seeped in behind his pupils and into the whites of his eyes. His teeth had grown into a hideous disjointed grin that couldn't fit within his mouth and so remained jutting out like boar tusks.

"What the...What the hell happened to him?"

"The animals..." Rukia explained softly, "The virus mutates within animals. He must have been bitten by one of them and caught their unique strain. You remember the spider right?"

The thought made all the girls shiver.

"Well regardless, we've got to stop him." Karin piped up.

"No," Rukia waved aside the suggestion, "Jinta was their friend and co-worker. Tessai and Ururu will handle him. We've got to keep the rest of the horde out of their way while they finish their business. I'll take the centre and Alice, you cover the second entrance."

"What about me?" Karin asked.

"You? I want you to start loading that thing up!" Rukia shoved the launcher towards the girl. "When you've got it fully loaded you give me a yell. I know Ururu looked like she could handle it but trust me it packs a hell of a punch!"

The younger girl nodded and set upon her task while Rukia and Alice laid down a hail of cold steel. The gravel outside the store had been soaked with blood leaving thick congealing puddles as more and more of the undead collapsed in pieces.

Meanwhile Tessai wrestled Jinta off of his shoulders and hurled him into the barrier. The boy collided with a thud which shattered the cinder block beneath him but left the beast unscathed. With a bestial snarl the boy lunged once again. Ururu leapt up into the air and intercepted him with a fist through the gut. Her fist dug in deep, crushing the now defunct organs in his abdomen. He coughed up black blood and landed in a heap, only to recover and roll into a crouch like a cat about to pounce. Ururu bared her fists and rushed in like a pro boxer. She ducked under his wild swings and threw a fierce uppercut, dislocating and removing several of his tusks.

Jinta roared with unbridled rage and spear tackled the girl. Before he could tear her apart Tessai slammed his open palm into the boy's temple. He was sent flying once again into the barricade, making a sizeable hole for the rest of the swarm to storm through. The mountain of a man cursed under his breath and threw himself into the melee throwing punches left and right and holding them demons at bay.

Jinta moved in to attack him from behind but was intercepted once again by Ururu who tackled him and pounded his nose in until the cartilage in his nose was pushed deep inside his skull. The sickening black blood seeped out from his eyes, nose and mouth but the beast only let out a depraved gurgling laugh and shoved her aside. Ururu collided with a rusted car and scraped up against it. She squealed as the abrasive rusted bonnet took a considerable amount of skin with it. With her dress torn and ruined, her back in tatters, tiny hands shaking, Ururu lunged at her tormentor once again tackling him to the ground. She caved in his left cheek and shattered more of his tusks but still Jinta struggled and fought her off. He pushed her up against the busted car and grabbed her by the hair before smashing her face through the side door which buckled and fell off under the impact.

Ururu dropped like a stone and barely had time to roll onto her back before Jinta pinned her down. He pressed his tusks against her collar but she managed to hold him back before he could bite her. As she struggled she looked to Tessai for help but the giant was buried under an avalanche of ghouls who were stripping him of flesh and looting his innards to share with the horde.

"Tessai!" the girl screamed, tears streaming from her eyes.

"Tessai is down!" Karin cried from the store entrance.

"Shit! They just keep coming! There's no end to them!" Alice yelled ignoring Karin's report.

Rukia cursed under her breath and dropped the empty M4 at her feet and unslung the shotgun. She dug a crater into the front line of the advancing ghouls and made a path for Ururu to rush back to safety; however the girl was pinned down by the mutated Jinta and was unable to escape from the swirling mass of the dead which was gradually surrounding her.

"Damn! Karin is that launcher ready?"

"N-not yet!" Karin stuttered, fumbling around with a shell she had dropped.

"Grr, there's no time left..." Rukia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Keep loading that ok, I'm going for a run."

"What?"

It was too late to stop her.

Rukia dropped the shotgun and removed the sword from its scabbard. She dashed across the porch and leapt into the air, flying like a bird over the front line and landing amidst the horde. In a blur of red and silver a spreading circle began to clear around her. The furious warrior hacked away at the ghouls and re-cleared her path to Ururu' side.

The younger girl was still trying to keep Jinta's jaws away from her body when he suddenly tilted his head and snapped at her arms. She moved it aside in time but in her haste she had let him fall on top of her. She squirmed underneath him and screamed out in panic, only making Jinta laugh. He pressed his face into the crook of her neck and Ururu placed her hands over his face. She dug her thumbs into his eye sockets and kept on pushing, using the momentum to pry his head away as well.

Jinta roared in agony as Ururu's thumbs disappeared completely inside his skull. Jinta thrashed about more violently and managed to slam Ururu into the dirt once again, even in his horribly wounded state. Just as his tusks grazed her supple neck Ururu felt something splash against her cheeks. It got in her eyes and she could barely see but she did notice that Jinta had stopped resisting.

When she opened her eyes at last, Rukia stood protectively over her, a bloodied katana blade running though one temple and protruding from the other. The girl could only stammer like a fool as Rukia pried her blade away and helped the girl up.

"Can you walk?" She asked.

Ururu gave a weak nod.

"Alright, when the path is clear..." The shinigami performed a wild dance with her sword, cutting a fresh path through the dead once again. Ururu staggered along behind her as the gap was quickly closed up again behind her.

By the time they reached the storefront and were behind their own line of defence the entire courtyard outside was a solid sea of grey.

"Damn it! Fall back inside! Take every last weapon you can find and head down into the cellar!" Alice snatched up Rukia's shotgun and held the ghouls back while the others fled. She slowly followed suit, using up the last of the shotgun shells and emptying her Carbine. She threw the empty weapons at them and ran to the weapons cabinet near the cellar door. With panicked breaths and a back turned on the oncoming horde Alice took every gun and box of ammo she could and divided it roughly amongst the others before pushing them down the ladder. She waited until last and then dropped down.

The descent down the ladder was easy for Rukia and Ururu who could simply drop as if it were a trivial matter, but for Karin and Alice they had to descend the great ladder the human way. Just when they had gone halfway down Alice heard a mournful cry and glance up in time to see a rotting young child fall down towards her. She hugged the ladder and braced herself as the body bumped off against her and dropped far down to the rocks below, landing with a resounding splat. The child's body just about exploded on impact ensuring he was definitely dead for good now.

It seemed their trap would work, if only they could get down the ladder in time.

"Karin, just slide down!"

"I can't! I-I'm afraid I'll"

"Just drop!"

"No!"

As the two argued another corpse dropped on them. Struck by surprise Alice was knocked free from the ladder and began to free fall. She groped for the rungs to no avail, her eyes widening in shock. Karin hadn't even comprehended what had just occurred until her hands her out of reach of her friend. Still she struck a hand out only to see Alice slipping away from her.

Alice felt weightless. She was flying...

The ground rushed up to meet her.

Darkness blanketed her vision.

Kind hands held her.

And then everything was still...

* * *

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	15. Swept Away

**Swept Away**

Alice saw the painted clouds above, growing further out of reach. She saw Karin extending her hand, crying out her name. She heard the cries of the others down below, their voices becoming louder as she fell. She saw more of the dead falling down after her.

She could sense the ground below and her body tensed up. She wanted to close her eyes and shut everything away but her eyes remained glued open, fixated on that unrealistic sky. A sky too bright and blue and perfect to be of this world of cruelty, blood, pain and death.

It was beautiful...

She had not seen a sky so blue for what had felt like eternity. Ever since the outbreak there had been black clouds and rain. The sky grew pallid and grey. But now all she saw was that perfect blue. It reminded her of the ocean she had crossed to come here. That great expanse of blue she had believed could protect her from the troubles in America.

She had been wrong. So very wrong...

There is no escape from death. No matter how far you run, death will find you. Such was the harsh lesson of life she had learned from the disaster. She had made many friends and lost them all the same. Now she was leaving all the same. She had felt the bitter pain of loss and the thought of bringing it upon others only hurt her more.

But at the very least, she thought, her fall from grace would ultimately destroy her. Her head would shatter into a million pieces just like every other bone in her body. She would be dead, sure, but at least she would not turn. She could spare them the agony of having to kill her.

With that she could at least die a little happier...

Once again Alice could hear the voices grow louder. Incredibly loud. She felt weightless still, the feeling mesmerizing as much as it was terrifying. She could still see the perfect blue sky.

Then she felt it, like the warmth from a fire in the dead of winter, a welcoming embrace of heat. So comforting, so gentle...

Unreal...

The hands around her clenched softly and guided her down to the Earth below. She landed so softly it felt like a dream. Surely it had to be? She was falling to her death! She should have felt the cold hard embrace of rock against bone, not this soft landing!

"Am I...Dreaming?" Alice whispered, her voice creaking through it. She was about to move when she felt a light stinging on her cheek. She cried out and looked up to see Rukia had pinched her cheek.

The two shared a silent moment just sitting there in stunned awe.

"R-Rukia? How did you..."

"I jumped." Rukia explained quite simply. She offered a beaming smile and hugged her friend. The two remained like that for some time until the others had gathered around them. Karin instantly ran to Alice's side and leapt into her arms, sobbing like the child she truly was. It didn't matter how brave a face she put on or how hard she fought, Karin was still a young girl at heart. It was those times that her facade broke like this that Alice felt truly happy. It was her brief glimpse of the world before the disaster, before they became a gang of gun-toting zombie slaying warriors.

"Thank you..." Alice whispered, not just to Rukia, but to everyone. Everyone living and everyone now gone who had helped her, saved her, protected her from the darkness. She owed them all. For their sakes she had to live on!

Another ghoul collided with the ground, its body exploding against the blood-slick rocks.

Alice looked up and saw they were falling in greater numbers now, desperate to catch their prey. As they tumbled to their deaths, their bodies slowly built up a cushioning for the others. A bed of spilled viscera and fractured bodies made the fall less hard on those to follow.

Not far from the grim mess, Urahara was busy constructing his senkai gate. The portal of stone wrapped in bandages and charms stood amidst the barren wasteland around it. Not far from the portal lay the weapons their group had salvaged from the store. Those that Alice had brought with her were now crumpled scraps of steel and nothing more, falling to a grim fate only Alice had been spared from. Still what had been saved would do fine for now.

As some of the dead were now surviving the fall, Alice, Rukia, Karin and Ururu fell back to the portal and divided the weapons.

Karin still had her P90 and now had two machine pistols at a belt around her waist. The young girl looked unusual loaded up with fire-arms, but life or death was more important than mild embarrassment.

Rukia had lost her shotgun but had found another Carbine. She slung an Uzi over her back and kept her katana at her side.

Ururu wielded a heavy rifle with a grenade launcher attachment. The weapon was not as large as the launcher she had used earlier but still was entirely unbefitting of the frail looking young girl. Nonetheless she hefted the mighty weapon as if it were as light as a bag of feathers.

Alice held the other two machine pistols and kept a MP7 slung over her back.

The four warrior maidens took up positions at the small ridge between Urahara and the portal and the mass of zombies crawling over each other to feed upon the living. The girls opened fire, using controlled bursts to take out what began as only some stragglers but soon developed into a slowly shambling group.

The mountain of dead at the bottom of the ladder allowed the dead to escape their fall with only bruises and broken bones that did not hurt. They limped and staggered forward now, once again able to form their ranks albeit much thinner for now.

The girls held their fire as Ururu fired her first grenade into the few dozen ghouls approaching them. The shrapnel tore them to pieces. Some managed to keep going even after the blast but those close to the centre were decimated by it.

While Ururu fed another grenade into her rifle the others provided cover fire, their guns spitting flame and steel from heated barrels. The dead thinned out and dispersed, no longer moving in close mobs but now fanning out to make use of the vast area around them. Now that they were spread out the girls struggled to hold them at bay. They took vague positions defending sides or the centre but even so the dead were beginning to flank them.

"Kisuke! How much longer until the portal is open?" Rukia roared across the battlefield.

"Just twenty minutes! Hang in there!"

"I'm trying!" Rukia snapped, unleashing a wide spray to take down a group of seven which had come far too close for comfort. Their corpses fell barely a metre away from their group. Alice struggled to contain those attacking from the left flank and was forced to reload while they converged and seized her position. Karin leapt to the rescue and fed the closest of the group an overdose of lead.

Alice returned fire and the two pushed the dead back at the expense of weakening their defences in the centre. The horde manoeuvred around to the new weak spot and continued to wear down the defenders. Each time they rushed to fight off the main force a new break would occur nearby. Ururu let off two consecutive grenades, shot like a mortar into the air. The grenades fell back down to earth only to explode within the rear ranks of the horde.

The undead became rattled by the attack from behind and their attention shifted in time for the girls to reaffirm their positions and mow down the first few lines of zombies. The undead, fooled into believing they were attacked on both sides fell into disarray. The shambling masses bumped into each other and ran into the opposing flanks as each tried to move back or to the front.

The girls fought on with renewed vigour and pushed the undead further back towards the mountain of corpses.

"Urahara?" Rukia screamed.

"Yes, its ready now, hurry girls, hurry!" Urahara waved them over and hastily chanted a spell under his breath. The space between the pillars suddenly became aglow with blue light and the senkai gate opened at last. Ururu fired the last of her ammunition into the oncoming swarm and held them at bay while the rest fled into the light. When she was finally out of ammo she hurled the gun with enough force to cave in one of the front-runner's foreheads. She then darted into the portal before the dead could reach her.

The portal closed just as the front line reached the pillars.

* * *

Alice and Karin stared wide-eyed at the strange new world they had entered. A long corridor stretching on towards a pale light, walls lined with melting flesh and bones like a ghostly ocean churning the remains of those lost at sea.

"W-What the Hell is this?" Alice whimpered.

"This is the Dangai," Urahara explained, "A space between the two worlds, your World of the Living and Soul Society. Beyond that light at the end of the tunnel lies Soul Society."

"And...What exactly happened to these people?" Alice pointed a trembling finger at the dead figures trapped in the walls.

Urahara raised his fan up to cover his mouth as he whispered, "It is better if you don't know."

Alice shut up after that.

The small group ran towards the light, lugging the last of their weapons. Urahara led the way but by the half-way point he froze in place and signalled for the others to stop.

"What is it?" Rukia asked, tensely.

Urahara did not answer, his eyes fixed upon the wall nearby. "Rukia...Give me your gun."

Without question Rukia handed over her Uzi and Urahara, still fixated on the wall pointed and fired. The muzzle flash was blinding in the near complete darkness of the strange world. A white haze filtered through the darkness but soon faded. As the girls blinked they all saw what Urahara had been focusing on.

Only a few metres away, the wall had suddenly crumbled and eroded, peeling away to reveal a demon none had wished to find here. A thin fountain of blood spurted from the bullet hole right between Mayuri Kurotsuchi's eyes.

He made no sound as he tore away from the wall and strolled casually into the middle of the path to block the passage for the survivors. The bleeding slowed to a pulsating oozing which washed down between his eyes and down his painted face. Such a wound should have killed him, or at least had him screaming in pain, but Mayuri simply smiled, his teeth unnaturally white against the gloom.

"Mayuri!" Rukia snarled, "What are you doing here?"

The doctor tilted his head in puzzlement, "Me? More probing is the matter of why you are here, Miss Kuchiki. If I wanted you to come back to Sereitei I would have dumped you in Rukongai, I left you in those festering sewers in the World of the Living for a reason!"

"Mayuri, enough of this! I know you caused all of this!" Urahara stepped in front once again. "This virus, the destruction, the chaos, the pain...You brought it upon us!"

"Ah, I wouldn't have put it past you Kisuke, to recognise my genius."

"Genius? You call this genius? You have brought forth the apocalypse and dare to call it genius? You are a damned fool! I never should have let you out of the Maggot's den! You should have been left to rot!"

"Such harsh words. It almost sounds as if you are mad at me. But I guess it is too late to save your precious world now. Your heroic charge is a tad late don't you think?"

"No," Urahara scowled, "It's not too late to make things right! All I have to do is kill you!" In the blink of an eye Urahara had vanished. When he reappeared he was floating above Mayuri, sword drawn and poised to cleave his head from his shoulders.

Mayuri did not even move, didn't even give any sort of recognition that he saw Urahara move. He just stood there, blood still seeping out of his forehead. He closed his eyes and his grin spread further just as Urahara was knocked out of the air and sent barrelling into the wall.

"I'm dreadfully sorry Kisuke, but it is indeed far too late to stop me now. The last of human kind has fallen and the Adam of the new world has finally come to rise! The cleansing is almost complete and already, the next step in man's evolution has taken its course!"

All eyes fell on the second figure standing beside Mayuri now. A boy with a body built strong by many past battles, eyes of burning amber and a deceptive scowl upon his face. A boy with fiery orange locks stepped forward and a thin smile crossed his features.

"Hi guys, long time on see huh?"

Before anyone could mover, before they could even blink, Ichigo vanished into a blurred smudge in their field of vision. Ururu was thrown into the wall with a jarring 'crack' and slowly slid down to crumple up in a heap. Karin was struck so hard she was sent spinning through the air until she fell hard on her back. Alice spun around to try and find him but just as she thought her gaze had fallen upon his blurred form she felt something sharp dig up through her back. She let out a strangled yelp and fell forward.

Rukia drew her sword and braced herself. She blinked involuntarily, but as soon as her eyes were open again, Ichigo's face was right there in front of her, so close she could feel his breath upon her cheeks, could see right through his deep brown eyes. So close she could tell it wasn't an illusion, that it really was the very same Ichigo she had known and loved...

So why?

Why had his sword run through her? Why was he still smiling as she dropped to her knees, as she let go of her sword and tried to stop the blood from gushing forth?

Why was he still smiling as Rukia cried?

* * *

Lucky you huh? So many updates recently. Well I'm trying to make it up to all of you who have so kindly waited for so long for updates in the past. Plus I'm kind of on a role here and the end is in sight so I've got more motivation that ever to really try and get some writing done even when I'm so damn busy with school. So thank you for being so patient and reading this far.

Please review and give me the extra edge I need to get through the next few chapters!


	16. The Beginning of the End

**The Beginning of the End**

Ichigo stood over the fallen warriors, his once unassuming smile now a twisted mockery of his once human self. Regardless of how he looked he was not back to normal at all. He was just another demon in disguise. He slowly kneeled down beside Rukia and grasped her chin, tilting her head up to look into his eyes.

"Rukia...I've missed you." The words were nothing but poison. Rukia couldn't resist the urge to wince at his calm expression and kind words.

"I-Ichigo...Why?" she stammered, a thin trail of blood running down from the corner of her mouth.

"What do you mean? I'm doing this for a good reason."

"What?"

"It's simple," Ichigo explained, his calm demeanour unwavering, "this is what you get for leaving me back there."

Rukia suddenly had the urge to vomit, feeling truly sick to her stomach. Was it truly her fault? Was Ichigo simply taking his anger out on her after being abandoned?

"We could have stayed together you know," Ichigo continued on, his morbid little lullaby moving on, "We could have rebuilt the world together. We could have made everything right again. But you threw it all away!"

Rukia was about to protest when her former companion threw her against the wall of the Dangai. Before she could even fall back down to the ground Ichigo charged, driving his knee deep into her gut. She coughed up specks of bloody spittle and dropped into a heap, dazed and disoriented.

"You abandoned me and ran away! You didn't care about me at all now did you?"

"You're wrong!" she pleaded, only to be quietened by a boot to the ribs.

"Silence!" Ichigo roared, his usual scowl returning. "You just used me. I was a tool to keep you alive and nothing more! A pawn you could exploit for your own benefit!"

Rukia's eyes narrowed, "No...That's a lie..."

Ichigo glared down at her, expression ashen, "Mayuri told me everything. From the very beginning you were just using me. That night we first met you only gave me your powers to save yourself! You taught me the ways of a shinigami just so I would protect you and save you from execution! You stayed with me all this time simply to use me as a shield!"

"No, I did it because we were friends! Don't you remember?"

"Don't condescend me!" Ichigo snapped, stomping on the smaller shinigami. "Your lies won't get you anywhere now! Mayuri told me the truth about your plans!"

"What plans?"

"You want to stop Mayuri and me from rebuilding the world! Together you and I were supposed to open a new chapter in the history of mankind but you couldn't go through with it. You resented me all this time and couldn't bear to create a new world with me; you simply want to bring about the end of this world and me along with it. At least be honest with me and tell me the truth!"

"But..." Rukia could no longer see, tears stinging her bloodshot eyes, "I really am telling you...Please remember..."

"I do remember, Rukia. I remember all the empty promises and fake smiles. I remember all those times I risked my life for you. But when did you ever risk your own life for mine? If we were truly friends why was I the only one shielding everyone?" Ichigo's eyes burned with fury. "Drop the act Rukia. I'm through playing our little game. I didn't set out here to play catch-up. Mayuri sent me here to kill you!"

Rukia choked on her own words before she could protest. She couldn't believe the words she was hearing. She couldn't comprehend how Ichigo could possibly believe such lies. What had Mayuri done to him?

"Ichigo...Ichigo please, you have to remember! Mayuri is feeding you lies!"

"Sorry Rukia, it's too late to save yourself." Ichigo took up his sword and raised it high, the glistening black blade poised to slice clean through her neck. Rukia tried to move but she was paralysed under his stare. His eyes truly showed a menace she had never seen before, at least not directed at her. It was the enraged glare she showed to his true enemies. She had seen it plenty of times but never had she received such a look from Ichigo.

It made no sense...

They were friends, best friends, better than friends. They had confessed their love for one another at the school when the dead were closing in on them. They had embraced each other and held each other close as the end drew upon them.

What happened? Where did those kind eyes go?

"Ichigo..." It was all she could utter, the word barely discernible from her panicked breaths and wracking sobs. She had faced death before but never had it been so terrifying. Even the rising dead seemed trivial compared to being cut down by a loved one. Even the end of the world felt empty and meaningless compared to Ichigo's sudden betrayal.

It seemed her second chance was only designed to make her suffer more. But why? Why was she to suffer so much? Why was everyone and everything suddenly against her? Why did the world want nothing more than to break her down and destroy her? Why did Ichigo hate her?

She stared at her terrified reflection in Ichigo's sword as it swung downward. The blade of fate crashed down, arcing towards her. She was helpless to watch on, morbidly transfixed upon the weapon that would ultimately end her existence for the final time.

A curtain was about to descend on her long life. One hundred and fifty years of torment were about to finally come to an end.

_So this is it...The end..._

_I'm sorry Ichigo..._

_Sorry I could not save you..._

* * *

Ichigo's blade soared through the air, inching ever closer to Rukia who remained trapped her doll-like stare fixated on the blade of fate crashing down upon her. She felt the air before her very eyes sliced clean through by the swinging black sword. She felt the air brushing against her face and then-

'BOOM!'

Ichigo's deceptively calm figure vanished behind a bright red blast. The sword swung wide and buried itself in the ground by her feet. Rukia fell back, eyes wide, staring at the thick plumes of smoke spewing from the statuesque frame of her former companion.

Ichigo snarled beneath the haze and swiped it away with his hands before setting his sights on the intruder.

Urahara stood some distance away, his sword drawn and at the ready. The two stared down one another for a moment before both disappearing in a flash and colliding with the sound of thunder. Urahara pressed his blade through Ichigo's defences but the lithe young boy simply used the momentum to spin off from his back leg and swing his sword around from the side. Urahara blocked it with his own weapon and used his free hand to let loose a small fireball from his open palm.

Ichigo barely reacted and simply pushed on, shoulder-charging the former captain and lifting him up off of the ground. As Urahara hovered momentarily Ichigo spun around on his back heel and drove his other leg into his opponent's stomach. Urahara slammed into the wall of the Dangai and barely had time to get up when the fearsome predator was already upon him.

The black blade crashed down upon Urahara's own blade and sparks rained down upon them as a deadly stalemate was reached.

Ichigo backed off and allowed the man to stand before rushing in for the kill yet again. Ichigo swung his sword like a madman, each strike getting successively stronger than the last until Urahara could barely maintain his balance and was thrown back into the wall again.

Left cornered, Urahara had no choice but to launch a counter-attack. He rolled aside from the young demon's downward slash and dived again to avoid Ichigo's follow-through swing. Now with his body awkwardly positioned Ichigo was left with holes in his defences.

Urahara rushed forward, a great roar escaping him. As he came within mere centimetres of running through his foe a hand suddenly struck out from nowhere. Urahara made the fatal mistake of hesitating as Ichigo's free hand reached out and clamped down on his throat.

"Kisuke!" Ururu cried from the sidelines, charging towards him.

Ichigo swiftly lifted his opponent up off his feet and promptly drove his face through the ground. Urahara struggled to recover but was rescued by the pint-sized assistant Ururu. The tiny girl barrelled into the Kurosaki boy and the two were thrown back a few paces. Without letting up Ururu unleashed a vicious onslaught of punches and kicks, using her bare hands to pummel her foe into submission.

Or so she had hoped...

However even with seemingly mortal wounds, Ichigo simply laughed it off. His torso was visibly dented from a particularly heavy punch, no doubt broken ribs and fatal injuries. The boy didn't even wince and simply struck her with the back of his hand.

Ururu stumbled back and was momentarily dazed.

Ichigo moved in for the finishing blow when his hand was knocked back by the force of a high-powered bullet. Vaguely irritated, Ichigo craned his neck to glare at Alice who had propped herself up against the wall of the tunnel to get a better aim with her M4.

"Hmm...Interesting...That's what a bullet feels like? No wonder it never stopped them..." Ichigo said this almost as an afterthought. Then he laughed, "Alice...I thought we had gone over this before..." He vanished.

Alice panicked but found herself unable to move. In an instant Ichigo was standing over her with a venomous smile, "You're supposed to aim for the head!"

Before Alice could scream his bony fingers enclosed around her head and clenched tight, threatening to shatter her skull. Her muffled cries of agony prompted the others to quickly run to her aid but this only spurred Ichigo on.

As Ururu reached him, Ichigo launched Alice forward like a missile and the two tumbled over each other to land in a heap. Urahara dashed past them and brought his sword down over Ichigo's shoulder only to have his sword arm caught in mid-air and wrenched around behind his back.

Karin opened fire into her brother's back in an attempt to distract him and in a sense it worked, but Ichigo still failed to relinquish his grip on Urahara. It was only when he smelled his flesh singeing and glanced down at the hand pressed against his heart that he loosened his grip. Kisuke's kido scorched Ichigo's chest and left him with a faint rasp to his breaths.

"Damn!" Kisuke snarled, "This isn't working at all!"

"Of course not," Mayuri declared proudly from his safe vantage point further up the tunnel, "Kurosaki Ichigo holds the key to the new breed of man! He is the Adam to bring about the new age of life. His unmatched abilities shall prove him worthy to propagate the species and birth the next glorious stage in man's ascent to absolute dominion over life and death!"

Ichigo seemed pleased with the praise but everyone else simply glared at the raving lunatic.

"Kurosaki is the prototype for the ultimate being! A creature transcending the laws of nature which bind humanity! Death cannot control him, rather he controls death! Truly Kurosaki is as close to perfection as can be. And I...I have finally found the power to be as one with the Gods! This plague, the final test of man...This was my judgement! The rebirth of man through the ashes of apocalypse, so too is my diving creation! I have the ultimate power in my grasp! All life in this world and the next, all exists according to my will! Existence itself rests in the palm of my hand!"

"You're a fool Mayuri! What point is there to any of this? You have destroyed everything just to play god? Why?"

"You yourself should understand Kisuke. I am a scientist. My whole reason for being is to uncover the secrets of this world. I live to solve the mysteries which have plagued man for centuries! Has the concept of death and creation not been the greatest secrets of our time? Is it not true that the answer to our life and death has always lingered just beyond our grasp? I have done what no other could ever manage. I have demystified life and death with my latest creations! Not only that, I have discovered a means to bypass such troublesome things and advance man's existence further than ever before!"

"You killed millions of innocent people for your selfish desires! Such atrocity is inexcusable! I won't let you get away with this!"

Mayuri simply grinned from ear to ear, "Oh but I already have! As we speak my legions are assembling outside the gates of Sereitei, ready to attack. Ukitake may have managed to hold Soul Society together for so long but his grasp cannot withstand a large-scale invasion. No matter how many of those fools lived through the initial outbreak their fats are now sealed. Soul Society will be cleansed of the impure and the truly worthy shall remain. Furthermore, the World of the Living is on the verge of total destruction! World leaders have united against the scourge but it has all been for nothing. Many nations have been wiped out entirely! Only small pockets of resistance remain but with an organised invasion force each one could easily be trampled underfoot as my minions tear a new bloody leaf on Earth's history!"

Urahara glanced back at Rukia and the others and softly whispered a parting message. The girls were all stunned by his words but nodded gravely without protest. Intrigued Mayuri waved a hand towards them while addressing his slave, "Kurosaki, they are plotting against you. Destroy them and be done with it! We have more pressing matter to attend!"

Ichigo nodded and took up an offensive stance.

Urahara was suddenly smiling.

The others appeared to be wearing brave faces for the next phase of the battle.

Mayuri paid no heed to their confidence, preoccupied with delusions of grandeur and a world drowned in blood. He did not pick up Urahara's subtle little movements or the hushed murmurs of the other warriors. So blinded by his own ambition, Mayuri didn't notice anything at all until it was too late...

* * *

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I actually went through five different versions of this chapter, all leading in different directions and such but I felt this was the right one to go with. Please review.


	17. The Beginning of the End II

**The Beginning of the End II**

Ukitake sat down at his throne and rubbed at his black-rimmed eyes. He had only grown more tired over the last few days. With everything falling apart the captain commander couldn't resist blaming himself. Those troops who had died out in the field and who Mayuri was now using as test subjects. Their deaths were the result of his own inefficient training. His warnings had not been stern enough. He lacked the authoritive anger of the late captain commander Genryusai Yammamoto Shigekuni. The people in Rukongai were now all dead because he had not been prepared enough to save them and left them to die while covering his own. Ichigo and Rukia, two young warriors in their primes of life and great friends had died in the World of the Living because he could not rescue them. His fellow captains had also died because he had not been strong enough to protect them, nor fast enough to warn them of the threat.

On all accounts every failure was his burden to bear now. Only he could take the blame of the pain and suffering. As Captain Commander every wrong decision was his...

The only hope was in Mayuri's cure. The odd scientist had told him his cure would be ready in only a matter of days, but days were not something the weary commander could spare. The dead outside the gate were hungrier than ever. The surviving shinigami were still dwindling in number each and every day. Soul Society was barely running, only holding itself together with strands of thread. It would not be long before everything fell apart.

Ukitake prayed that Mayuri could complete producing his cure in time...

Kiyone, his faithful assistant was seemingly worse for wear than her captain. He always bid her to rest but he found it impossible to leave her for long, always having to wake her. However he had seen first-hand her sleep was fitful, restless and plagued with nightmares. She was still too young to be thrust into such a horrid series of events but the apocalypse spared no-one.

Ukitake truly sympathised for the girl. For a long time she had been a faithful adviser and a close friend and it hurt him to see her in such pain.

"Damn...This darkness...Will it ever clear?"

Ukitake was about to retire to his chambers when he felt an unusual presence behind him. He spun on his heels and faced an opening senkai gate. He cautiously drew his sword and assumed a fighting stance but quickly relaxed when a familiar face passed through into the hall.

"What? This...this cannot be! Rukia? You're...Alive?"

She returned no gesture of happiness as she was escorted into the hall by her blood-spattered companions. Her expression was grave. "Captain Ukitake, I have urgent news to report."

* * *

Only moments earlier, Rukia, Alice and Karin stood before the beast that had become of Ichigo Kurosaki. Regardless of his human visage his mind had been twisted by Mayuri's fiendish lies. He had become a slave to the nefarious scientist and as much as it hurt her to admit it, Ichigo was now Rukia's enemy.

But even so, to draw her sword against him was something beyond her abilities. But even if she could, Ichigo was too strong now. Mayuri truly had created a most powerful being. However as long as Rukia and her comrades were alive they swore to stop Mayuri at any cost. Without Ichigo guarding his side Mayuri would be left powerless and prone to defeat. Even as a captain his combat abilities were among the lowest of the Gotei 13's few remaining leaders.

And so it was decided...

Ichigo had to be taken care of. Fighting him had proven fruitless even with the combined strength of everyone in their ragged group of survivors. Therefore they needed help in incapacitating their opponent.

It was then that Urahara had turned to the others and revealed his plan. The group all were taken aback by his daring idea, but nonetheless resolved themselves to carry it out. They braced themselves for the task at hand and waited for Urahara's orders.

Seeing them plotting, Mayuri grew restless and ordered Ichigo to finish them off. Feeling over-confident in Ichigo's abilities he ignored the subtle hints of the groups slowly fanning out and taking up positions within the tunnel. He did not gauge their wandering glances, nor their muscles tensing in anticipation.

Ichigo raised his sword and grit his teeth, preparing to charge. As soon as he began to move Urahara let out a fierce battle cry and rushed to meet him. With a fury unseen ever before, Urahara collided with Ichigo with a resounding shockwave which threw them both back from the epicentre of their attacks.

Recovering instantly, Urahara thrust his palm out and unleashed a ball of blue flames. Standing rooted to the ground, Ichigo waited for the incoming blast and hacked through it with his gleaming blade, however through the dissipating flames there came a human torpedo.

Urahara hacked down upon his foe who only just managed to leap back a few paces to avoid the crushing blow. Ichigo snarled in derision and moved to attack but Urahara was already on the offensive again, refusing to let up for even a second.

Mayuri smirked at the surprising vigour in Kisuke's attacks. He seemed to have become absorbed in his battle, whole-heartedly determined to slay the ultimate being. A foolish venture, but admirable all the same.

"Kisuke Urahara...So you can be serious it seems...It only took the apocalypse to wake you up. A shame you couldn't join me."

"Ichigo!" Urahara roared, "I know your brain still works! Now hurry up and open your eyes!" With a wide horizontal swing, the senior warrior raked his blade across Ichigo's chest, sending a thing trail of blood spurting out into the air. The boy staggered back, eyes wide.

"Wha..."

"You're surprised that I hit you right? Mayuri would have told you we wouldn't hurt you because we would try and manipulate you instead." Ichigo's expression twitched. "I'm right aren't I? And you yourself believed deep down somewhere that it was true because we are your friends! Admit it!"

"But...No...You just..." Ichigo's hands were beginning to quiver. The movements were so slight only an experienced warrior such as Urahara could pick upon it. However it was clearly enough to see he had succeeded in getting under Ichigo's skin.

"You're confused now, because I just cut you, right? It hurts doesn't it? To be hurt by someone you trusted!"

Ichigo took a step back and lowered his sword a fraction. "H-Huh? What are you talking about?"

"I'm asking you a question. Does it hurt?"

Ichigo scowled, "Of course it hurts! You sliced me with a sword!"

"Exactly."

"Exactly?" Ichigo echoed in dismay.

"If it hurts, does that not mean that you can still feel?" Urahara asked, a slight smirk present now.

"O-Of course I can!" Ichigo snapped, "I'm still human!"

"Then why are you listening to Mayuri instead of your heart? Why are you ignoring your gut feeling and blindly following the orders of someone you barely even know?"

Ichigo cursed under his breath and took a cautionary glance to his master. "I...I don't have to answer to you!"

"I'm not asking you to answer to me," Urahara said so calmly, belying the fury he had displayed earlier, "You have to answer to yourself. Why are you attacking the friends that had devoted themselves to protecting you and the ones you loved?"

Ichigo turned to Rukia, to Alice and then finally to Karin, his beloved little sister. His eyes widened as if he had only just recognised her and his jaw dropped.

"K-Karin? Is that...really you?"

Karin smiled thinly, her eyes brimming with tears as she whispered the name of the brother she had looked up to. Her once shiny black hair had become dull and frayed from the endless days of battle. Blood and sweat left it matted together in an unwashed mess. Her cheeks were stained in grime and dirt and cuts and grazes as were her bony thin arms and legs. Her clothes were soaked through with blood and torn beyond repair. An image from a distant memory flitted through Ichigo's mind, an image of the snide little eleven year old girl who played soccer in the park and would look after Yuzu as if she were her mother. He remembered a fragile princess who would cling to her brother and cry whenever she thought of her mother.

And yet here stood a warrior, bloodied and beaten. Her indifferent frown concealed behind a mask of blood and bruises. The soccer ball in her hands had now become an assault rifle clutched in white-knuckled hands. She no longer played with Yuzu and no longer cried over her mother. Now she cried for her lost father, her lost sister and most of all...For her lost brother.

Ichigo froze up.

"No...No...NO!"

He dropped his sword and grasped the sides of his head as he writhed about in agony. His screams echoed throughout the Dangai and rose in a chorus of pain and sadness.

Urahara stood over him with a stern frown. "You can see it now can't you Ichigo? Your sister has lost everything, as have you. She saw you as you killed Yuzu and your father too. She lost her family to this madness and yet she still fights! She stayed by your side even after everything that had happened because she knew in her heart that you only did what you thought was right, even if it seemed cruel. Even when she was frightened of you, beyond belief she still stood by you in that Hell! Even when she ran away she could still only think of you!"

Ichigo remained staring at Karin even as he addressed Urahara, "How...How do you know that?"

"When she was resting at my shop I heard her crying out in her sleep. She was crying because she felt terrible for abandoning you. She cried because even when she saw you as one of the undead she knew she could never raise a hand against you!"

"What...?"

"Even when you had become one with the ghouls she had been fighting awake and in her dreams, she had resolved herself to never betray what her heart had told her! Regardless of how painful things got she has always stayed true to herself." Urahara sighed deeply before continuing, "I won't deny that what we have done to you has been cruel at times. I won't deny that we have hurt you! But you cannot deny why you went through with it in the first place! You pushed yourself beyond your limits, through unimaginable pain all for your heart's desire! You swore to yourself that you would protect the weak; that you would stand up no matter how many times you were knocked down. You swore that you would be the sword and shield to protect the ones you cared for!"

Silence hung over the Dangai for some time, even Mayuri was hopelessly lost to his own curiosity, observing Ichigo's every reaction to Kisuke' probing interrogation. This was simply a test of his creations mental strength. If he failed to withstand his opponent's taunts then he wouldn't be worthy to be the Adam of the new world. And so Mayuri stood by silently and watched.

Urahara waited patiently for Ichigo to respond, silently praying for Ichigo to wake up and break free from Mayuri's brainwashing. He noticed Ichigo's head shifting and his shoulders twitching. He overheard a faint sound, heavy breaths.

Ichigo seemed to have decided upon his answer.

...

'Schunk!'

Urahara clenched his teeth and groaned as waves of searing pain shot through his veins. He remained standing even as Ichigo's blade buried itself deep into his stomach to protrude from his back.

"Urgh...So this...Is your answer?"

Ichigo was shaking uncontrollably now, his body wracking with each panicked breath. His voice cracked as he struggled to justify himself, "I told you...I don't have to answer to you!"

Kisuke coughed up a mouthful of blood and then he let out a brief burst of laughter. Ichigo's eyes narrowed and Mayuri's grin spread wide in anticipation. The other survivors tensed up instantly.

"I expected as much...Stubborn as always Kurosaki..."

"What do you mean? Why are you laughing?"

"Because...You're still the same stubborn young brat I met back then...You still have that scowl on your face and that blazing fire in your eyes...And you still can't ever accept defeat!"

Ichigo's expression faltered yet again. Urahara's plan was going along almost exactly as he had described earlier.

"You're still...Gullible..."

Urahara's body disintegrated and Ichigo panicked, however unbeknownst to him, Urahara had re-appeared behind him, completely unscathed. His decoy gigai had worked perfectly, even fooling Mayuri. Chanting under his breath Urahara finally uttered, "Bakudo 61, Rikujokoro."

Before he could even recognise that voice from behind, Ichigo's body was pierced with six rods of blinding light. He tried to resist but he was firmly held in place.

Meanwhile Rukia had finished chanting the incantation for her own spell, directing it at Mayuri. With Mayuri and Ichigo restrained for the time being Urahara finally called out, "Now!"

Everyone ran for the light at the end of the tunnel, the path to Soul Society closing in on them now. Even as Mayuri broke free from his restraints and gave chase the survivors only pushed on faster, determined to escape.

Urahara stayed back and drew his sword preparing to hold off any who dared to oppose him.

Ichigo eventually managed to break through and in a fit of rage raced off to destroy his foes. He was upon Urahara almost instantly, moving with blinding speed. The two fought on with vigour as Rukia, Alice and Karin reached the end of the road.

Ururu stopped short of the exit and frowned. As a faithful assistant to Kisuke Urahara she loyally rushed back to help her master and prevent Mayuri from getting past.

Ensuring their sacrifices would not be in vain, Rukia, Alice and Karin headed on through the light and into Soul Society. They overheard the Ururu's screams, Mayuri's laughter, Ichigo's frustrated cries and Urahara's defiant roar all culminate and then fall silent as the gate behind them sealed itself shut.

* * *

After hearing their report Ukitake nodded gravely. He truly didn't want to believe much of what he had been told, but he was well aware that he could trust Rukia far more than Captain Kurotsuchi. With a bitter smile he thanked his young protégé and her companions before calling forth his messengers.

"Inform all captains to assemble for an emergency meeting! Also, I want it publicly declared that Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi is now wanted for treason against the Gotei 13 and is to be stopped by any means necessary!"

* * *

The truth has finally come out. Mayuri is finally declared the enemy of the living! Ichigo's brainwashing seems to be faltering! The nightmare approaches it's climax! Don't miss the next chapter! Now please review!


	18. The Beginning of the End III

**The Beginning of the End III**

****A shorter chapter this time, but it's an update nonetheless. Besides, I like cliffhangers! Enjoy and please review!

* * *

Four captains stood tall alongside their guests from the World of the Living. All in all, their war council consisted of seven members. Such was the drain this long war had had on the Soul Society. Ukitake remained at the head of the group, his expression ashen.

"As you all know...Mayuri Kurotsuchi has betrayed us." He spoke the words with such contempt that the others were stunned. Ukitake, the ever-calm, collected pacifist had now become haggard and furious. "This..._Cure..._Mayuri spoke of...It seems he had been experimenting on undead specimens to devise a way to make them stronger. Rukia was one of his guinea pigs. To our knowledge he has at least one more and that is..." Ukitake bowed his head, "Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Kurosaki?!" Byakuya's eyes widened in shock. It was chilling enough to find his sister standing before his very eyes when he had seen her die and yet now it seemed the Kurosaki boy was still alive as well.

Ukitake nodded. "Mayuri has found a way to bring Ichigo back to a healthy state, however it seems his abilities have become heightened because of it. He is also under Mayuri's influence. He has been deluded into seeing us all as enemies and will be very hostile."

"So this is how it ends huh?" Soi Fon sighed, "We have to kill more old friends to make things right."

"No!" Karin cried out suddenly, interrupting. "You can't kill Ichigo! He's my brother!"

"Tsk," Soi Fon cursed, "Brother or not he will kill you on sight if you let him close enough-"

"You're wrong!" Karin shrieked, her voice cracking, "When he saw me...His eyes...For just a moment he..." the young girl never finished, breaking down in tears. Alice comforted her while meeting the stares of the captains.

"Look, I may not know Ichigo as well as some of you, but I saw the look in his eyes back then. He seemed set on killing us all, but seeing Karin screwed up his delusional mind. He almost snapped. If we push him far enough he should come back to his senses!"

"An optimistic plan, but if he doesn't revert back to normal we will be in a tight spot. If you aren't prepared to fight him to the death then you stand no chance against him."

Soi Fon's lecture seemed to fall on deaf ears as the others contemplated the possibility of rescuing the fiery-haired boy.

"You said Urahara had almost broken through Mayuri's brainwashing, right?" Ukitake directed the question to Rukia, who nodded softly in response. "So...Ichigo could be turned against Mayuri. With his strength with us and not against us we could easily crush Mayuri!"

"So what do you plan to do?"

Ukitake smiled devilishly, "Oh I know exactly what to do!"

* * *

The war council entered the Research and Development Institute with steps of caution. Akon and a few stragglers remained at their stations typing away at their computers and monitoring walls covered in screens. The darkness of the room and the faint ghostly hum of machinery only worsened the atmosphere.

"Akon! Initiate the cleaners!" Ukitake instructed with a voice full of authority. The burden of his failed leadership thus far had pressured the captain commander into adopting his more forceful tone. Determined to never fail again, Ukitake resigned himself to do whatever possible to ensure Mayuri was caught and defeated and no more innocent lives would be lost.

"By activating the cleaners Mayuri will have no choice but to run or die."

"But then Ichigo will-"

"Mayuri isn't a fool. He's a wily creature. If anyone could sense the cleaners approaching it is Mayuri. He will detect it easily and escape."

"Why are you letting him escape?" Kommamura asked, "We should simply enter the Dangai and take him down now."

"No, that won't work. Even if Mayuri is the least capable in combat amongst us captains, he still has considerable power. If we fought him there it would damage the precipice world and we could all be trapped there for eternity, or worse still we might all perish."

The captains all wore stern frowns as they considered Ukitake's plans.

"So you seek to smoke him out?" Byakuya asked.

"Of course. Mayuri has two choices: flee to the World of the Living, or return here. Mayuri has never been one to abandon his research and so he will return here. This lab will be the site of his return. We can draw him out into the open and hit him with everything we've got!"

"I see...But what makes you think he will stop here first?" Byakuya inquired, "Knowing that deranged fool he would want to throw our forces in disarray."

Ukitake grinned at that, "Well spotted Kuchiki. Mayuri's only real choice to throw us off would be to open one of the gates and let the dead pour in."

Everyone present let out cries of shock. The prospect of a fully-fledged battle against the undead sent shivers down all spines. None desired to face the undead for the rest of their days. It was better to leave the ghouls floundering around outside the walls where they could never reach inside.

"We can't possibly take on the undead _and _Mayuri at once!" Rukia cried.

"It would be a suicide mission, of course. However we have enough lieutenants in reserve to head our forces. We can divide the troops into four squadrons, one for each gate. Station them appropriately and wait for Mayuri to make his move. Find the point where the undead are breaking through and shift all units to that point. Meanwhile we can focus on Mayuri and intercept him when he tries to reach his lab."

The others nodded, impressed with Ukitake's strategy.

"Sir," Akon interrupted, "the cleaners are ready to be released."

"Perfect!" Ukitake waved his hand forward as if directing an army, "Release the cleaners!" he then turned to one of the other researchers, "You! Send forth a message to all the barracks: Instruct them to divide their forces into equal stations and guard the gates. Have Hisagi and Matsumoto take the East Gate. Isane and Kiyone take the West. Iba and Ikkaku guard the North! Byakuya, I want you to guard the South."

The young hunch-backed researcher tapped away at a small keyboard before reaching for a speaker and relaying the message.

Ukitake saluted Byakuya as he made his way to meet the rallying troops. As soon as he was gone he folded his arms and gave off a venomous smile.

"Mayuri...You've made a fool of me. You've taken so much from me...I will finally have my vengeance!"

* * *

The deranged psychopath guarded against the little girl's wild punches. Infuriated for being forced to draw his sword, Mayuri had become rather distressed. He had been bested by Urahara, a disgraceful result. He had let the rest of their party slide through his fingers and reach Soul Society. No doubt Ukitake would finally know of his plans. A true shame. The blind old fool could have been led on for another century before becoming the least bit suspicious.

But now the secret would be out. No doubt the Gotei 13 would be rallying its reserve troops and awaiting his return.

_Damn! I guess I underestimated those fools...But no matter! Even with these irritating little detours nothing can possibly stop me now!_

Mayuri blocked another blow from the annoying child and swatted her away with his sword. He needed time to think, so at the least he was somewhat glad to be facing off against the child as opposed to Urahara. That man had a mind as sharp as his sword. He should have been more careful around him, but Mayuri had become too confident. He had ignored Urahara's presence thinking it as nothing more than another bump in the road. He was wrong.

Kisuke Urahara...Even now on the fruition of the new world, that wily snake had caused him trouble.

But the time for stalling had passed. Ukitake would no doubt make his move soon and it would be best to be prepared.

_Ukitake has an army with him...The last bastion of mankind and its failures...So then I too must raise an army! It can't get any easier than this! I have billions of loyal soldiers at my disposal! The curtain shall indeed fall on mankind! _

Mayuri couldn't help but chuckle at his own genius. At first he had been afraid of the ghouls he had created. They were disgusting, slow and brainless, but over time he had noticed their advantages and their better points. They intrigued him. And so it came to pass that Mayuri had desired to improve them and create a new master race. Now that he knew the formula to create creatures such as the Kurosaki boy it was only a matter of spreading the new virus to the undead masses and bring about the new age!

The end was so very near; Mayuri could almost reach out and touch it. His murderous grin only spread further as the girl rushed forward once again. Having barely been paying attention to his duel Mayuri had been somewhat beaten back but now he decided to focus.

With ease he stepped out of range of her arcing legs and effortlessly sliced through her calves. The girl collapsed in a heap and let out a shrill scream that caught the attention of her leader, Kisuke Urahara.

Mayuri licked his lips with anticipation as he brought his sword down upon her head, only for Urahara to block it with his own sword at the last moment.

_Just as I planned!_

The vicious madman raised his free hand at Urahara and fired off a point-blank ball of fire. Even Urahara hadn't foreseen it, much too pre-occupied with the threat to his subordinate's life. Such was his downfall. Urahara, like the other captains, were too far hung up on the well-being of their own men. Their fear for the safety of their own men distracted them and limited their powers. As such Kurotsuchi had learned not to mourn the death of cattle however the lesson had not stuck with anyone else. It was their greatest weakness, the chink in their armour. With that in mind it was too simple to exploit them.

There had never been a good chance to test it out, but now Mayuri had proof.

A shame he had to use it against such a remarkable specimen...

Urahara fell beside his young companion and the two gazed up at their assailant with wide eyes. Both covered in blood and too weak to fight back, they were powerless to stop Mayuri anymore.

However the chance to slay them by his own hand had passed. A distant rumbling and a tremor through the floor of the tunnel made Mayuri shudder. He understood perfectly well what was coming and instantly made his retreat.

"Kurosaki! We're leaving! Now!"

Without question, Ichigo ran towards the light at the end of the tunnel, the light which led back into Soul Society, back into the lion's den. Mayuri followed but stopped once again to look back at Urahara.

"Farewell, Kisuke. You were the one man I truly respected. Your cunning was truly admirable and your strength was legendary. A shame that you could be brought down so easily. Do not worry; I will be sure to spread the legend of the great Kisuke Urahara throughout the new world once it is complete."

With that Mayuri departed, accompanied by the enraged roars of the former captain of squad 12.

Just as he was about to leave he thought he saw a blur of movement but a cautionary glance back betrayed that thought and so he shrugged his shoulders and continued on his way to the new world...

* * *

On the eve of war the two sides make their plans. The ultimate battle of the living and the dead awaits! Don't dare miss the next chapter!


	19. The Gates Of Hell

**The Gates Of Hell**

Byakuya Kuchiki stood atop the ramparts observing the swirling mass of decomposing flesh down below. The great wall surrounding the Sereitei had been a godsend throughout the disastrous outbreak, warding off the legions of ghouls left to wander Rukongai in search of fresh meat. Having exhausted their food supply they had begun to lose their fervour, but the sheer numbers still posed an imminent threat were they ever to break through the barrier.

Thankfully the walls were sturdy enough to outlast any invasion. The only chance of a breach lay in an attack upon the four gates at the cardinal points of the wall. Ukitake had initiated a hasty mobilisation of the Soul Society's full remaining fighting force to guard each gate and prevent the dreaded swarm to gain entry upon the sacred ground within.

With Mayuri's betrayal laid bare the plans had already been set and all that was left was to capture and destroy the rabid scientist and hopefully return the Kurosaki child to his former self. In either event only two pillars stood against the living.

Byakuya glanced back to his loyal subordinates, waiting in formation around the gate and assembled upon the ramparts on either side of him. Most were from his own squad however a scant few stragglers from the abandoned squads had joined his own to bolster the defences upon the South Gate. All were ordered to maintain their position at all times and to remain at their posts until ordered otherwise. Regardless of who the men had served they all knew better than to test the patience of the Captain of squad 6, Byakuya Kuchiki.

In silence they waited, listening to the hissing of the wind which whipped their stony faces high upon the wall.

To the North Ikkaku Madarame and Tetsuzaemon Iba held positions at either side of the gate. Each man led their own separate contingent of their amassed forces ensuring that each side be governed by a captain class officer. Scouts upon the ramparts remained between them to relay information between the lieutenants. In the absence of any immediate thread the two warriors had become complacent, paying little heed to the chatter among their ranks.

In the East Hisagi and Matsumoto had an identical arrangement to those in the North, as did Isane and Kiyone in the West. Following Captain Commander Ukitake's words to the letter neither strayed from their post, regardless of how restless Matsumoto had become. Never being a woman to enjoy silence she frequently burst into nervous bouts of song, singing to herself simply to calm her jangled nerves. Hisagi watched on with a sympathetic gaze understanding full well the effects of the tension. He struggled to remain strong at the head of his forces, fighting the trembling of his hands and his hollow legs.

The Kotetsu sisters maintained their barricade in the West to the best of their ability, but neither were the most proficient of leaders. The thin-skinned and cowardly Isane and her devoted sister who despite her best efforts could only fill the role of a capable officer at best and nothing more. Neither were the fiercest among their comrades and the pressure of their situation had only come to wear them down. Isane had become overworked after taking over the duties of her deceased captain Unohana whilst Kiyone had been strained from trying to organise the whole of Soul Society under her circumstantial role as assistant captain to the new captain commander.

As such, those spearheading the operation had been unprepared for what was to happen next.

Isane noticed a young shinigami stumbling past his comrades, skin pale, eyes wide. He looked to be quite sickly, no doubt unfit for the task at hand. The concerned lieutenant stepped down from her post and strolled out to meet the frail figure on his way to the front.

As she got closer however she noticed something off about his appearance. The blue vines sapping away at his essence just beneath the marbled skin, the black roots winding around his pupils which like cataracts had become a clouded haze. His lips devoid of colour.

The man was dead.

And yet he took another step forward.

Isane screamed, raising the alarm among the others. Her troops sprang into action, despite the confusion, drawing their weapons and fanning out into a defensive line, expecting an attack from behind. None had noticed the beastly abomination which lunged at their leader.

Isane was tackled to the ground and left at the mercy of the undead beast. From afar he had not looked much different from any of her other soldiers, blending into the crowd with considerable ease, but up close she could still smell the foul stench of decay on his breath as he bared his fangs, drool splashing down against her cheek.

With another pitiful cry the frightened shinigami tried to fight off her assailant, but unlike the other ghouls this one had a powerful grip. His hands clawed away at her uniform, nails digging trenches through the soft flesh of her bosom. Her hysterical cries brought the attention of the others to the melee at last and in an instant her forces lunged at the beast.

With unthinkable reflexes for the undead, the ghoul leapt up into the air and somersaulted over to the ramparts where a thin layer of troops lay in wait. With imposing strength the ghoul swatted away the attackers, throwing them over the ramparts to the hungry dead below.

"Stop him! Kill him at once!" Kiyone roared, her voice already hoarse from her panicked breaths.

As the shinigami forces surrounded the ghoul they were met with unimaginable resistance. This one grave-born fiend had managed to fend off against all who faced him. However, the ghoul could not withstand the barrage of blades from all sides as the wall of opposing soldiers encircled him and like a coiled snake wrapped around his body to devour it. Carved up into pieces, some remained to hack away at the pulverised mess to ensure it never moved again.

Kiyone ran to her sister who sobbed in a heap where she had been struck down. She cradled her older sister and whispered soothing words to her in an attempt to ease the girl's troubled mind. All the while burning questions ran through her head.

_What in the world was that? Why was it so strong? It took down at least a dozen men before they could stop it! If there are any more of those things in our ranks..._

Suddenly the alarm rang out across the Sereitei.

* * *

Hisagi clutched Matsumoto's bloodied body with one arm while swinging his sword wildly with the other. They had appeared out of nowhere, mixed into his own ranks like any other troop. With strength unlike the bloodthirsty beasts beyond the wall these members of the undead legions had remarkable strength and resilience. No longer slavering hounds, these warriors were cunning, encircling their prey like sharks and moving in for the kill. Numbering at a measly pack of five they had pounced upon Matsumoto and her personal guard. With the rest of her forces on alert and even Hisagi's men rushing to her aid it left their forces wide open for an ambush. Spreading out and surrounding the much larger force they tore away at them with reckless abandon, turning the defensive line into ghoulish reinforcements.

Hisagi made the mistake of rushing to Matsumoto's side rather than slaying the pack leaders. As he pushed the newly turned dead back the rest of his men were quickly brought over to the realm of the living dead.

Unable to raise the alarm he simply took a final stand against the horde, a furious battle-cry the last sound to escape his lips as the rotting grey tide overwhelmed him.

* * *

The research and development squad had placed triggers upon the gates to sound the alarm in the event of them being over-run. Fortunately it worked, however it was already too late. With the Eastern Gate wide open the dead poured in like a surging ocean wave.

Within the twelfth squad's headquarters Ukitake grit his teeth and cursed, "They broke through? How?!"

"What do we do?" Kommamura asked, staring at the monitor before them.

"We have no choice. Kommamura lead your men to the East gate and keep them at bay until Mayuri arrives. Once he shows his face we should be certain that the other gates are secure and can divert all our forces into pushing the dead back out into Rukongai."

With a bow Kommamura set off, knowing full well that there was no time to discuss the matter further.

Behind them all Rukia, Alice and Karin shared terrified glances.

* * *

Isane limped alongside the young man charged with escorting her to the infirmary. Kiyone had been adamant about remaining guard upon the gates, especially with the alarm being raised. If one gate had fallen that surely meant more of those evolved ghouls lay in wait within their ranks.

After checking over the young shinigami Kiyone had asserted that he was indeed not one of them and was a decent candidate to help her sister get to the fourth squad infirmary safely.

Draped over his shoulder he walked alongside her, albeit slowly with her dragging feet. Their march was unimpeded the entire time and yet he could not calm himself at all, eye ever wandering to every flickering shadow and the slightest noise.

Nevertheless he had succeeded in his mission and set Isane down on one of the beds in the infirmary. While she rested the subordinate wandered around in search of supplies, chancing upon a small table covered in various equipment.

He picked up some bandages and antiseptics and a cloth and made to return to his lieutenant, but something made him turn back, something catching his eye.

A single syringe lying amid the rest of the equipment, half filled with a viscous red fluid. T had to be blood, but the more probing question was from where it might have come from. It looked like blood, but there was something just perceptibly off about it.

Lost in thought he failed to note the shadows creeping up from behind him. By the time he turned around it was already too late.

Slammed against the wall by one assailant, the other snatched up the strange syringe and stalked his prey.

"Wait! What are you doing? Get off of me!"

His cries were in vain, however they served as a warning for Isane to escape, if only she were listening and not taken over by her prior panic attack. Her rampant sobs drowned out the screams only a few rooms away.

* * *

"Report!" the scout yelled above the chaotic din within the research and development department. He bowed before Ukitake and relayed his message, "The East Gate has been entirely over-run. Captain Kommamura's forces have engaged the undead but they will not last without proper reinforcements!"

Ukitake scowled, his plan falling apart before his very eyes. He had been sure that he had seen ahead of that psychotic fiend and yet Mayuri had set himself safe-guards in anticipation for every one of Ukitake's movements well in advance. The thought of spies on the inside never crossed his mind, besides the dead stood out plain as day and were sluggish and mindless. The new strain running rampant within Sereitei had become as close to their former counter-parts as possible and yet their reflexes, strength and agility had become more-so than it had when they were alive.

The 'cure' Mayuri had been working on all this time had simply been a mutated strain of the virus to strengthen his vile army. With stronger henchmen he had become a much more formidable enemy and with the numbers now certainly on his side...

"No...I won't go down so easily!" Ukitake clenched a fist and glanced up at the few loyal soldiers left at his disposal. They stared back with determined expressions, all expressing their desire to fight to the last breath.

"Report! Mayuri Kurotsuchi has arrived in Soul Society and is headed towards the East gate! I repeat Mayuri Kurotsuchi is headed for the East gate!"

All eyes fell on the captain commander, awaiting his orders. Ukitake measured up his fellow warriors and closed his eyes, "Very well. You understand what we must do. Mayuri must pay for his crimes and we must also prevent the dead from claiming Sereitei. Rukia, Karin, Alice...I want you to find Ichigo. Bring him to his senses before he has a chance to be used against us. Soi Fon, I want you to scout out all of these new beasts and destroy them. Ensure they don't get a chance to regroup with their master. As for me...Well I'm going to take that rotten doctor's head!"

* * *

Mayuri and Ichigo arrived in an empty courtyard near the centre of Soul Society. Having already gauged the situation Mayuri led his blood-thirsty servant towards the East gate where the prototype advanced strain had broken through the gate and released the flood of undead which would bring down Soul Society. More of the advanced strain would be ready and waiting with the infirmary of Fourth Squad now turned to a production line for the dead.

Everything was falling into the palm of his hand and it was only a matter of time before the entire world would be in his grasp.

Although it was a surprise to be discovered so soon, Mayuri had known better than to ignore the threat of attack. After discovering the correct means for crafting the ultimate being and having three prototypes in reserve it was a simple matter assigning each of the new member's missions for the inevitable mobilisation against them. Spread the virus within your ranks, break open the gates and fight until dead. Each had accepted their roles without so much as a word and marched off to join the rest of their squad to wait for the moment.

The plan unfolded perfectly.

The end was assured and the beginning of the new era had reached its dawn.

Just as the sun would set in the sky and disappear, so too would the human race and so too would the foolish shinigami who thought they could control the living and dead well beyond their means. The end of their road was nigh whilst Mayuri prepared to pave the way for a new path which man could take; the road paved with blood and flesh to lead the ultimate being to the new age.

And he would be their God...

* * *

Well this chapter is a little short and the scenes are as well but since there is a lot of scattered action going on I wanted to give everyone their place in the spotlight. But amidst this madness the final battle is building up! Don't miss it! 


	20. Life and Death

**Life and Death**

Like an unholy tide the dead swept in through the open gates, devouring all in their path. Hisagi's men succumbed in a matter of minutes and Matsumoto's forces failed to repel the horde. Even the generals on the ramparts stood little chance against the sheer size of the enemy force. All of Rukongai was gathered around the walls of Sereitei, waiting day after day slavering away, thirsting for the rich taste of blood. The one opening was simply blood in the water and like starved hounds they pounced upon it, seizing the opportunity to feed.

Kommamura's troops arrived in time to stop the spread past the court beyond the gate, but even so a veritable ocean of decaying bodies had already breached Sereitei's holy ground.

With a mighty battle cry, the beast charged at the incoming wave of the undead and hacked away at them with reckless abandon. His shoulders tensed and muscles bulged as his giant form swung back and forth fervently, his sword swinging like a pendulum to cut a path through their ranks.

With his troops covering his back they ensured the path their captain created would not be filled, even going so far as expanding the gap to divide the enemy ranks into three flanks. Divide and conquer, such was their plan. As the enemy was spread out Kommamura's men fanned out and fought on for their very lives...For the future of all they had ever known.

"Do not stop!" Kommamura roared, his fangs bared, "If they stand in your way, destroy them! If they draw your blood, destroy them! If they bite you and infect you with their cursed breath, destroy them! No matter what fight until your very last breath! This is not for glory or honour, this fight is for your very lives!"

Stirring his men into a frenzy of violence the battle raged on, corpses dropping in throngs by the second. Blood rained down from the sky to soak the earth as towers of flesh and bone were razed to the ground.

For the living and the dead, the eternal silence of the end awaited.

* * *

Isane screamed as the dead surrounded her in the infirmary. One pinned her down on the floor whilst another breathed its feral rotting breath across the nape of her neck, fighting the urge to sink his teeth deep into her smooth snow-white flesh. The third procured a dirty syringe and grinned, an expression unseen upon the dead thus far.

She kicked and screamed in protest, but the strength of the new strain proved too much for one lone lieutenant to handle. Nonetheless she let out her tormented cries till her throat was hoarse, hoping beyond hope that help would arrive.

But the dead were left unopposed and her captors kept her restrained while the needle was prepared. A dark viscous fluid left to stagnate in the chamber slowly oozed from the needle point, gliding down the length of the syringe and dropping upon the pallid hands of the undead surgeon.

Isane threw her body around as much as possible with little effect, but in doing so managed to shift her head within a hairs breadth of the face of the one who restrained her. With a deep breath Isane lunged forward and sank her teeth into the weak grey flesh of his cheek, drawing a long strip from his face. The ghoul momentarily relinquished his grip from the distraction and with another furious burst of adrenaline she managed to throw him off.

Nonetheless the other two remained within a short distance and the second ghoul was already pouncing on her before she could even sit up.

At the very least Isane managed to draw her legs in and push the beast back into the wall, colliding with the surgeon and sending each other stumbling back if only for a few steps before they recovered.

The terrified shinigami got into a crouch and dived out towards a bed on the other side. A tray of medical equipment lay within reach from there. Already the first ghoul was almost upon her, blocking her way past the bed.

Isane snatched up a pair of forceps and spun on her foe who was already upon her grasping her throat and throwing her against the wall. As she struggled to breathe under the crushing grip on her throat she drove the forceps through the Hell-spawn's eye and plucked it out. Even with the sickly grey orb dangling around its chin the beast pushed on as if it had merely been bitten by a mosquito.

With a disgusted grunt Isane once again drove the forceps into the now empty eye socket and pushed further inwards. With a slightly weaker skull than a healthy human even the new strain had its weaknesses. Despite their strength and reflexes being enhanced the fibres themselves appeared to be structurally weaker due to their decay.

The bone at the rear of the eye-socket inevitably crumbled under the stress and the forceps disappeared within the ghoul's head, piercing brain tissue and unleashing a torrent of fluid from his ruined face. Isane let out a defiant cry as she drove the forceps deep into the recesses of the demon's brain, pinching them together until she was sure they were deep enough inside.

Then she let go.

The forceps expanded within the beast's skull, tearing the fragile tissue of the brain apart from the inside out. The ghoul howled and stumbled back for Isane to kick it into his pursuing companions.

While keeping her eyes on her opponents her hands drifted across the surgical table, cutting through her delicate fingers blindly searching for her next weapon. She found the scalpel and leapt over the bed to get past her pursuers. She knew they would catch up the short distance, but if she could at least get outside she might find help.

Giving a last ditch effort of survival, Isane bolted for the front door, but the unarmed of the remaining two ghouls had dashed past her to block the exit. Sighting the window between them Isane charged through, ignoring the biting of pain of glass in her skin as she landed in a heap on the outside. The very movement of rolling up into a crouch only left more glass in her skin but she pushed such thoughts from her mind and focused on escape.

Her usual running gait was disturbed by a pain in her thigh, a large shard of glass embedded deep inside. Slowing to a limp she continued to move but it all became too much and the poor woman fell against the wall beside her, using it for leverage to remain upright.

The dead followed her and caught up with ease, both baying for blood now.

Even with her courageous efforts her battle had come to an end.

Knowing her struggle was all but finished the ghouls toyed with her, slowly stalking their prey, snickering and chuckling amongst themselves, once again inhibiting unusual behaviour for the undead.

The new strain was surely a force to be reckoned with.

Clutching the syringe tight within her bloodied hands Isane crumbled and fell to her knees allowing the dead to tower over her. They encroached within a few feet of her and snarled, the surgeon once again raising the syringe with a wicked grin on his decaying face.

Tears flowed down her cheeks as Isane sobbed, her adrenaline rush expiring and giving free reign to the agony burning throughout her entire body and the rampant fear of the walking undead. With her vision clouded by tears she would not even see the end to the battle.

She heard their snarling, their thirsty wailing cry.

Then there was silence.

Wiping the tears with her sleeve Isane glanced up to see a new figure before her, a friendly face at last.

Soi Fon wrenched her blade free from the back of the surgeon's head, her sword having pierced the back of his skull and exploding out from his forehead. The second ghoul lay at her feet, his head laying several metres away in a puddle of discoloured blood.

Soi Fon studied Isane for a moment, eyeing her up and down, then shrugged her shoulders and ran off as quickly as she had appeared.

Isane remained curled up against the infirmary wall and closed her eyes for a while, just to get some rest...

* * *

Mayuri led Ichigo slowly through the now empty corridors and halls within his fellow squad's quarters. Distant screams echoed in the wind bringing a sick smile to Mayuri's face. Although not running perfectly, his plan was certainly under way and progressing well. He felt Soi Fon's reiatsu around near the infirmary. She had stayed there for only a moment and departed towards the wall.

Mayuri cursed. He had hoped to bolster his forces with a mass production unit for the new strain, but it seemed Soi Fon had crushed that plan at least in its infant stages. The fact of the matter was, however that the virus he had lended to those minions had merely been an experimental serum. The true strain of the virus was still in his laboratory. Fortunately even when Ukitake had been using the Research and Development Facility as his base of operations he would never have found the entrance to Mayuri's secret lair. Even his fellow staff at the facility were unaware of its existence, only Mayuri knew about its existence.

The precious red apple for the Adam of the new world awaited buried underground beneath the Research and Development Facility where none would ever find it.

But while Ukitake and his fickle army of doomed shinigami were all distracted it was the perfect chance to infiltrate the facility and retrieve the precious virus.

Mayuri stepped into the facility and found Akon at the main console on the far wall. One of the other researchers was standing idly behind him, watching on in awe.

"Ichigo...I want you to kill the little one. Akon is mine. Be swift and ensure they do not raise the alarm."

Ichigo nodded and flash stepped inside, slicing the younger researcher clean in half before he could even register his presence. As Akon spun around Mayuri collided with him, throwing the researcher to the ground. Drawing his sword Mayuri summoned his shikai and quickly sliced Akon's Achilles tendon, paralysing him. The scientist fell on his back, staring up at his devious mentor with a piercing glare.

"Hmm, even when you are trapped you continue to glare like that? You're an intriguing subject Akon, I must admit. That is why I'm giving you a chance to be part of my new world. Would you like that?"

"I wish to play no part in your sick games Mayuri."

"Really? Well your insubordination is misplaced. You see, I wasn't asking for your permission!"

Akon trembled slightly but managed to hold his glare. "So the magician will finally pull his rabbit out of the hat?"

Mayuri grinned, "Why yes, for being such a remarkable assistant all these years I feel I owe you the honour of showing you my most prized creation."

Mayuri strolled casually toward the farthest corner of the room and held out his hand. A small section of the wall slid aside revealing a red button. Stabbing the button with savage glee Mayuri cackled as a partition in the floor appeared, revealing a flight of stairs leading down beneath the lab. Gesturing towards the prisoner Mayuri ordered Ichigo to carry him down below.

After descending into the abyss a weak light splayed across the small laboratory, unveiling a table in the centre which bore a vial of red fluid. Blood.

"Ha! You sure hid this well. I never suspected an underground lab!"

"Of course, nobody knew. The only way to reach God's lair is to pass beyond the limits and boundaries of mortal life and experience the unlimited potential of death. Now, let me show you my latest creation!"

His pale fingers wrapped around the vial and pressed it closer to Akon's face so he could study it carefully.

"Do you know what this is?"

"Blood but it's infected with so many contagions that it certainly can't be pure."

"Correct Akon, the virus evolves in the presence of blood and by mixing it with blood the virus can advance and reproduce and become stronger. This is the ultimate elixir, designed to transcend those who receive it well beyond the realms of life and death. This shall make you immortal!"

"Spending eternity with you? That sounds awful. Besides, without limits there is no desire to improve, no drive to search for more. You said it yourself, Mayuri, perfection is a curse to scientists!"

"Ah, that is true, but I am no longer a scientist...I am a God!"

Akon laughed bitterly and rolled his eyes, "Give me a break! If you were so omnipotent then you wouldn't have forgotten about that nasty little toy you made a few years ago...I believe it was called...The Flesh Bomb!"

Mayuri's eyes narrowed.

"Now Ukitake!" Akon roared before grinning at his foe. "Sorry Mayuri, but your grand paradise sounds like crap to me. I'd rather die with honour than live as your slave."

Akon's body erupted in a sea of blazing gore. The explosion shattered the vial and sent Mayuri flying into the cages at the other end of the lab. Ichigo was hurled back too leaving a smouldering mass of flaming flesh at the foot of the stairs which remained unsealed.

As Mayuri crawled up against the cage he noticed a shadow crawling down from the above. No sooner had the figure come into view when Mayuri roared in outrage, cursing the name of his foe as he set foot into the secret lab.

"Ukitake! Damn you! How dare you defy me when your life is at its end! You've already run your course and yet you still impede the march of progress?! You're a fool!"

The captain commander threw the Flesh Bomb detonator into the fire and scowled, "No Mayuri. You are the fool. You made an enemy of not only me, but every living thing on this earth! For the sake of progress, for the sake of the future of Soul Society and the World of the Living...I swear on my honour as Captain Commander of the Gotei 13. I'm going to kill you!"

* * *

As the end draws near the battle of life and death rages on. Do not miss the next chapter!

Now please review


	21. Life and Death II

**Life and Death II**

The alarm's piercing cry wailed across all of Sereitei. Mayuri Kurotsuchi had been successfully captured, ensuring the gates were safe from attack. Each detachment from the North, South and West gates split in two and transferred half their forces to the East gate where Kommamura's forces were fending off the unending tide of the undead from Rukongai.

From the North Tetsuzaemon Iba rushed to support his captain whilst all the other units consisted solely of troops, their remaining generals guarding the gates. Kiyone remained upon the Western ramparts, sending scouts to retrieve her sister and ensure her safety. Byakuya remained positioned in the South, calmly observing the wandering dead down below as they shuffled away and moved on towards the Eastern gate where their accursed brethren had gained entry. Ikkaku remained in the North for as long as possible but inevitably the lure of battle drew him away and the foolish 3rd seat abandoned his troops to fight on the front-line.

Nonetheless, the tides of battle had shifted once again. Despite Mayuri's well-laid counter-measures against Ukitake's initial strategies, the nefarious doctor had overlooked the chance of any further plots, instead expecting the Soul Society's meagre forces to crumble through their low morale. Mayuri had underestimated the courageous warriors of the Gotei 13 who fought with renewed vigour, the fear of a fate worse than death spurring on their furious onslaught.

Regardless of Ukitake's peaceful nature, the man had experienced more conflicts than any surviving member of the Gotei 13. A wizened veteran of the fiercest battles in all of Soul Society's centuries-long history, he was more than qualified to achieve the rank of Captain Commander.

Even in the face of overwhelming odds, Ukitake had managed to play one last ace up his sleeve and catch Mayuri off-guard. For a dangerously cunning man, Mayuri's arrogance had brought an end to his plans.

No longer able to spread the new mutated strain of the virus and with all remaining subjects of said strain thoroughly extinguished Mayuri was left with no choice but to rely solely on the shambling, disorganised and exhausted masses from Rukongai. Even with the numbers still well in his favour, the strength of the Gotei 13 placed each side on a level playing field.

Hope remained a small glinting light far ahead...A glimpse of a future for mankind...

_Now is the time to seize it!_

Ukitake glared down at his most hated foe, a fierce loathing burning within him that had not surfaced in so very many years he had thought it impossible. Never had one man caused so much terror, pain and heart-ache, never had one man enraged the gentle silver-haired captain so that he would curse the day of his birth.

Ukitake was never known for being vengeful, nor violent. However Mayuri's crimes against nature itself had brought forth a darkness within the man's very soul that compelled him to erase every trace of his cursed existence.

Ukitake drew his sword, the blade gleaming in the otherwise darkness of the lab.

"You are the first man I have ever wished death upon...You are the first man to compel me to spill blood for the sake of honour. Be grateful that you shall be the first and last to face me like this. I will gladly stain my pride with blood to atone for the billions of innocent lives I have forsaken."

Mayuri spat, "Bah! You're a fool! A man too weak-willed to fight commanding the highest military force in Soul Society! Your age is merely a sign of your imminent decay Ukitake! One day you will rot like the very same beasts you're fighting."

Ukitake clenched his fingers tighter around the hilt of his sword, "I won't take insults from a man so despicable as to use the dead as his playthings in a childish bid for power! You boast of being the god of a new world, a leader among the perfect race...And yet you are as far from perfect as the night from day."

"How dare you-"

"A vain, spiteful creature, disfigured by his own hand for the sake of entertainment and nothing more. A man with a mind as sharp as a sword blunted by your own delusions. A man who already stood atop the heavens, yet believes he can climb higher. If you had not caused such horrors it would be laughable. Nothing more than an infant playing god!"

"Silence! Your words cannot hurt me! I already hold the balance of power! The dead shall claim this place and I shall lead them to a greater future!"

"A life of slavery is not a future! I will rebuild everything you have destroyed in your futile quest for power!"

"You alone cannot rebuild what was lost! Your hopeless optimism is your greatest flaw! Give up and accept the reality of your situation. Bow down to me and I will spare you!"

"Spare me? You could never take my head Mayuri!"

"Perhaps not...But you seem to be forgetting that I have a friend who is more than capable of such a task." Mayuri's lips curled up into a vicious smile, "Ichigo! Kill this worthless fool so that we may proceed with the plan!"

The Kurosaki boy who had been standing idly by the entire time suddenly stood to attention and nodded, drawing his sword within the blink of an eye. Wordlessly, he approached his foe, his expression as cold as the dead flesh of the ghouls. With imperceptible speed the boy lunged forward, sword poised to claim the Captain Commander's head.

The wizened veteran guarded just in time, swatting aside Ichigo's sword and using the momentum to brush the boy aside. A thin smile crossed his features; one of determination and grim resolve.

"You underestimated me again Kurotsuchi. You really thought I would walk right into the enemy lair alone?"

Mayuri cursed under his breath as three figures emerged from the top of the stairs and into the laboratory.

"Damn! I have no time to waste on such low-level scum! Ichigo take the interlopers elsewhere and dispose of them. I will deal with Ukitake myself!"

Ichigo bowed and went after the intruders, forcing them to retreat outside whilst leaving his master inside. Once outside he straightened and pointed his sword at the girl's he had once known as friends.

Rukia, Alice and Karin all stood tall together, forming a wall against their intimidating opponent. Neither side spoke for some time, an exchange of silent glances as the stand-off ensued.

At last, Ichigo shattered the silence, "So, we meet again huh guys? A shame it has to end like this."

Rukia stepped forward on trembling feet, willing herself to remain strong, "Ichigo, it doesn't have to end! It's not too late to redeem yourself! You just have to open your eyes!"

Ichigo chuckled, "That sounds familiar. The same script from before right? Well I already told you, I'm not here to talk, I'm here to kill you."

"Dammit, wake up!" she cried, anger flaring, "You know deep down that we are friends don't you?! You remember the feelings we shared, the tears we shed! You remember cradling me in your arms as the undead crowded around us back at the school right! That warmth I felt in your arms was not a lie! If you really despised me all this time would you have spent your last waking moments with me?"

Ichigo suddenly appeared beside her, his blade already digging into her side, "Hey, we all make mistakes right?"

Flash stepping to a safe distance, Rukia held a hand over the gash in her side. She had never even seen him move! Warm blood pooled around her hand, oozing between her fingers and down the length of her thigh. Gritting her teeth Rukia forced herself to look deep into his eyes, hoping above all else to find a glimpse of something...Anything to bring him back...

Amused, Ichigo stared back, his ever-present empty scowl affixed to his features. "So, Rukia, what's this game? A staring contest? What do I win?"

"Ichigo!" Alice shrieked, drawing her rifle and taking aim. Tears streaked down her cheeks, clouding her vision and obscuring her aim, nonetheless she lined up her shot, glaring at him down the sights. "Look around you Ichigo! Look at the pain and misery this whole nightmare has caused! You dare side with the lunatic who caused all this?! I know you're better than that!"

Ichigo scoffed, "You don't know me at all. We only met a few months ago. Just remembering my name doesn't add up to being a friend you know?"

"Grr, listen to yourself! We fought together Ichigo! I promised that I would protect your sister and your friends! We promised to live through this nightmare to see the sun rise each day! We watched out for each other back in Karakura when the entire world was against us!"

"Good job doing that. Thanks for leaving me behind."

Alice laughed, not out of humour but frustration and desperation, "Are you serious? I don't know how much of your brain that doctor left in that thick skull of yours but apparently your memory is fucked!"

Ichigo smirked, "Dying alone is pretty hard to forget."

"Alone?!" Rukia cried, staggering forward. On shaking limbs she charged towards him, a scream billowing out of her throat to push her onward. Ichigo waited for her, patiently waiting before side-stepping her punch and striking her with the back of his hand. Rukia fell forward on her hands and knees, choking back the body-wracking sobs that threatened to overwhelm her.

"Alone? Is that how you see it? Is that really how you remember it Ichigo?"

He gave no answer, silently drawing his sword, eyes dispassionately studying the fallen shinigami.

As he raised the weapon a hail of bullets pierced his hands and arm, rendering the limb useless. With a shrug Ichigo dropped the sword and used his good arm to lift her up by her hair, ignoring Alice's attacks entirely.

"Ichigo..." Rukia whimpered, her breath coming in ragged sobs, "Ichigo...Please...Please remember..."

With outstretched arms she embraced him, even as he tore at her hair and shook her like a rag-doll. With a look of repulsion and fear Ichigo feverishly tried to pry her arms off but Rukia persisted, constricting him in a close embrace, burying her head in his chest to absorb her tears.

"Get off of me! Get off, you leech!"

"Remember..." she implored in a voice as soft as freshly fallen snow.

"Shut up! I'm sick of you using me as your crutch! I'm not just a tool dammit!"

"Back in the school..." Rukia whispered, her breath cool against Ichigo's neck.

"Let me go!"

"We held each other..."

"No!"

"We promised each other..."

"Shut up dammit!" Ichigo wrestled with her but to no avail. Rukia clutched on for dear life, never relenting as she dug beneath his skin.

"Even in death..."

"Grraarrrrgh!"

"We'll be together forever..."

With a defiant roar Ichigo threw her off. Rukia landed in a heap by his feet, her shoulders quaking as grief took over. She glanced up at him, the sorrow bleeding out through her eyes, lips quivering on the brink of silence.

Then she screamed.

"Together to the end! You promised me Ichigo!"

Ichigo staggered back, struck by the power of her words as if it had been the edge of a sword. He felt something trickle down the side of his face and quickly wiped at it with his hands, surprised to see no blood, but tears.

"He's crying..." Karin murmured, watching on in stunned awe.

"Do you remember now Ichigo?" Alice asked, lowering the barrel of her gun. "I didn't abandon you. You refused to leave Rukia's side. You decided for yourself to stay behind and die beside the one you truly loved."

"But...Mayuri..."

"How could he have known? Was he there at your house when you had to kill your little sister? Did he offer you a shoulder to lean on as you cried? Was he there at the school when we fought to the very end? Was he watching your back as we took on the tide of the dead?"

Ichigo bowed his head. "No...He wasn't..."

"Mayuri never cared about you or your feelings. He cast Rukia aside because she refused to be his slave! That's why he cast her aside and left her for dead! The only reason he's kept you alive is because he wants you to wipe out mankind and lead those mindless fucking zombies for eternity as that freak's god damn toys! You're nothing to him!"

"No, it can't be..."

"But you know what? You're everything to us Ichigo. We've gone through Hell to bring you back and I'm telling you I'm not going home empty handed! We'll wake you up even if we have to die trying!"

Ichigo snapped.

Alice never saw it coming. Snatching up his discarded sword, Ichigo plunged the blade deep in her stomach. With a gasp of strangled air Alice rocked forward and collapsed. Seizing the gun from her wildly shaking hands Ichigo emptied the clip into Rukia's back, keeping her down on the ground.

At last Ichigo turned to Karin, eyes like an animal backed into a corner, fear and desperation blazing. He was afraid. Afraid that his enemies might be telling the truth.

With hands stained in blood Ichigo reached out to his sister and whispered her name, the words carried on the wind to reach her. Karin backed away, only to bump into a wall.

She was trapped.

Ichigo staggered onward, a broken grin on his face, an obscene mockery of the expression. A false mask to hide behind whilst the cogs finally began to turn in Ichigo's mind.

Unable to accept it Ichigo advanced, towering over his little sister he blocked her only route of escape, backed her into the corner. One hand went for her throat, the other drawing back for a strike. His breath came in pained wheezes as the beast fought for control.

Karin closed her eyes and wept.

"Sorry...Ichi-ni..."

'Bang!'

* * *

Thanks for reading this far, I hope you're enjoying the story! Please review, in these final stages of the story your thoughts can be a great help. And don't miss the next thrilling chapter of 'World of the Living Dead'!


	22. Life and Death III

**Life and Death III**

The pistol dropped from her hands, the muzzle flash blinding her. A heavenly white brightness covered all while the sensation of hot wet Hell spilled down her chest. It soaked through her hands and made it difficult to grip the weapon and so it slipped out and hit the ground with a metallic clank.

The scent of smoke and gunpowder assailed her nose causing her to wince. Rippling waves of nausea crashed against her consciousness like waves against a dam.

In darkness she waited for a sign...

For anything...

She wasn't sure what she was looking for, only certain that she needed to search. Fumbling through the blast-blind haze her blood-slick hands snaked out into the open air in search of purchase. When at last they made contact, they absorbed a warmth she had known all too well.

A silhouette in the brightness.

She ran her hands across his chest, inevitably probing the deep gouged tunnel in his flesh. She instantly flinched, shying away, however in that instant of release he fell upon her, his entire weight crashing down upon her smaller frame.

His arms draped over her shoulders, head balanced on the crook of her neck. She could feel his legs give, his body flopping uselessly into her arms.

"Ichi-ni..." she whispered ever so softly, bringing forth tears to wash away the haze.

As her vision returned she finally saw him, the brother she had looked up to. The brother who had always protected her. And yet this time it had been her turn to protect him...

"Karin..." The voice stunned her. It was so very frail, his tone, as if afraid to voice his thoughts.

Nestling her head against his, she let out a sigh and hummed in reply.

He hesitated, the words lingering on the tip of his tongue. After some pause, he asked, "What have I done?"

Karin glanced around at her two fallen friends, both just barely hanging on. She closed her eyes and choked back the tears, "You did something terrible...But you were only doing what you thought was right..."

An image of Yuzu and her father appeared in her head, their smiling faces bearing down upon her. Slowly, Karin ran her hand through her brother's spiked hair, gently stroking it as she sighed, "I forgive you..."

Together, the siblings wept.

* * *

Ukitake and Mayuri stood perfectly still in the secluded secrecy of the laboratory. Both exchanged furious looks, both feeling resentment and hatred unlike anything they had felt before.

"I'm surprised you let Ichigo go to fight the others. I would have thought you'd have an easier time picking apart the weaklings rather than face me."

"I can't help but shake the feeling you are insulting me, Ukitake. But you are correct. As satisfying as it would be to tear those pathetic mortals apart I simply cannot abandon the greatest foe I have ever encountered. A God must lead by example, how else are his followers to trust him and obey? I shall prove to everyone my strength and gain absolute dominion over all the living and the dead! You are the final stepping stone towards a higher plane Ukitake and so I must face you."

The captain commander frowned, "Why are you so concerned with becoming a God? Were you not content living under another's shadow?"

"Hmm, I doubt you could comprehend. You've long been nothing more than a figure-head for the Gotei 13. Without even trying you became a pillar for everyone else, so much so that you succeeded the former Captain Commander without even lifting a finger."

"Is this all a matter of jealousy?" Ukitake gasped incredulously.

Mayuri shook his head, "No, nothing so trivial. I am merely doing what I have always done, crawling up from the depths to a place more deserving of my presence. I was imprisoned for so many years until that foolish Urahara set me free. He had potential, but he did not deserve his place and so I worked my way to becoming his replacement and assuming command of the Research and Development department. Then I noticed the cracks amongst the other captains and our own leader. In truth I never thought I could bring down the Captain Commander, but the outbreak of the virus came as an unexpected blessing. Purely by accident I had carved a path to my destiny as commander of the Gotei 13."

"You call all of this a blessing?! So many innocent people have died all to place yourself on a pedestal! You're an abomination!"

"Harsh words, but I care not for your loathing. You see you managed to usurp the position I had sought through finally applying yourself in the battle against the undead. I was impressed by your efforts, but even so you could never live up to the previous Captain Commander, and even he was flawed...That's when I realised, the only way to reach the heights I desired would be to become a God, a being of such supreme power and authority, beyond realms of right and wrong. Thus my flaws would matter not in the eyes of my followers. Why try and climb beside you when I can simply pass you by and reach a higher plane of existence!"

Ukitake scowled, "And you think having a legion of ghouls as your pets will make you a god? You're a fool Mayuri! You've caused so much pain and sadness all for nothing! Your empty ambitions and lofty ideals mean nothing! All this time you've simply been crushing the world underfoot to boost your own image!"

A fiendish grin crossed the madman's features, a malicious smile dripping with venom.

"Perhaps. To survive the apocalypse is a miracle only a God could manage."

Ukitake charged. Swords clashed. Sparks rained down.

A shockwave billowed outwards, shattering the cages and causing the equipment to scatter and break, destroying every trace of Mayuri's secret research. With a sad frown he studied the wreckage and with renewed vigour lunged at his foe, hacking away at his careful defences. Ukitake blocked each strike with relative ease, confident in his abilities against the notoriously weaker captain.

When it seemed Mayuri's onslaught had slowed, Ukitake whirled around and slammed his blade against that of his foe, the momentum and force throwing his opponent backwards and leaving him open to attack.

As Mayuri stumbled Ukitake rushed forward, sword thrust forwards seeking death.

Just barely in time Mayuri flash stepped out of the way and wheeled to the side, firing off several kido blasts. Ukitake deflected the first two and dived around the third before firing off several of his own.

As smoke and dust choked the tiny room, the captain commander utilised the smoke screen to duck in close and slice up through Mayuri's midsection, the blade coming to a stop beneath his arm. Blood exploded out from between his lipless grin, splattering against his haori. Cursing, Mayuri wrenched his own body free, severing his arm in the process.

In shock, Ukitake watched on as Mayuri injected himself with some kind of serum. In the blink of an eye the lost limb had grown back, perfectly unscathed.

_Damn, I forgot about his little bag of tricks! I can't let him escape! If I can destroy him before he gets a chance to heal himself it will all be over!_

Unfortunately before he could make his move, Mayuri had flash stepped beside him, swinging his sword in a wide arc just narrowly missing his head. As Ukitake ducked he spun on his heels, mid-crouch, and carved through the back of his opponent's knees, downing the enemy captain and trapping him on the ground amid the sea of debris.

Mayuri rolled onto his side and thrust upwards, tearing through the captain commander's haori but missing his flesh. Nonetheless the battle-hardened warrior leapt back to a safe distance afterward, giving him a window to heal his decimated legs.

Once again rising from the brink of death Mayuri grinned through blood-flecked teeth at his opponent.

"Your skills are certainly impressive, but I know you Ukitake. You aren't known for your endurance! I just have to wear you down and then you're finished!"

"I won't let that happen!" Ukitake snarled, throwing himself into the fray with a furious string of slashes, sword moving so fast it became a blur of silver-glinted light. Mayuri managed to evade the strikes using his impressive speed and reflexes. As the commander began to slow Mayuri leapt high above him and unleashed a shot of blue fire, obscuring the view of the area below. The nefarious doctor brought his sword down on the silhouette of his foe, feeling the delectable sensation of steel through flesh and bone.

A sadistically gratifying scream echoed out from the captain commander as he dropped down on one knee. Bringing his free hand to the wound he glanced up, defeated, at his rival.

"Damn! I can't accept this! I won't fall here! Not until you are dead!"

Ukitake threw a devastating punch to the doctor's midsection sending him doubling over in pain. Quickly snatching up his sword Ukitake thrust the blade up through Mayuri's heart, erupting in a scarlet fountain out through his back. Using the weight of his entire body Ukitake shoulder charged the wounded captain and sent him staggering into the wall where he collapsed in a heap.

Now was his chance to finally slay him and end the battle once and for all!

All he had to do was walk over and cut off his head.

With a groan the captain commander dropped down on all fours, coughing and wheezing. Of all times his age and sickness had caught up, overlapping the surge of adrenaline and seizing the fore in his centuries old body.

Crippled by the searing nausea churning inside him, Ukitake leant forward and threw up an unholy black soup of poisoned blood and bile. Pus dripped down from the corner of his mouth, lips now colourless. With blank eyes he fell back against the remains of one of the cages, hands grasping his aching stomach, a sensation of burrowing drills piercing his innards.

_No! Not now! I can't lose! It isn't my time just yet! For all of those who have been lost...For all who I have forsaken...I will avenge you all! This is a battle of honour...Of life and death!_

Once again, Mayuri returned to his feet, his wounds healed with unnatural ease. Nonetheless the remnants of his injuries remained painted across his pallid white flesh. A look of unnerving calm assailed him, but a hint of anxiety in the vile captain's eyes betrayed him.

Ukitake smiled thinly before wincing at the pain throbbing in his temples.

_That look in his eyes...He's running out of those needles! I just have to fight on for a little longer! I must hold out!_

On shaking legs Ukitake crawled to his feet, using the decimated cage as a support, leaning on its warped and shattered frame to steady himself before balancing precariously on his own ground. He needed a moment to gather himself. He needed to stall his opponent for a while, just long enough for the dizzying wave of sickness to pass and clear his head.

He forced a laugh, but it sounded broken and weak rattling out of his throat.

"You're finished Mayuri! There's a limit to how many times the dead can rise again. Even with your medicine you cannot endure forever. All I have to do is cut you down until you use up your supply. Or maybe I could just cut off your arms so you can't fetch your little toys?"

Visibly rattled, a murderous glare flashed through Mayuri's expression.

"Your boasting only delays your own demise. Though you may fight me, you have no defence against your internal failings. As your organs begin to shut down, aggravated by the stress of battle, soon you will lose the ability to stand against me. As your motor functions are impaired you will lose focus as your bodily systems close one by one. It will be just like falling asleep, in agony! And as you crumbled and fall, finally your lungs will close off and cut off your supply of oxygen. Like a fish on land you will suffocate on the very air you breathe! However I may be merciful and take your head before that happens; pray I don't change my mind!"

Ukitake smirked. Mayuri was known for his long winded speeches. It was a welcome break, a chance to clear his head and concentrate on the final battle. Now focused solely on the call of battle, Ukitake charged, a great cry erupting from his struggling lungs.

* * *

Kommamura swung his great sword in a wide arc, cutting down a dozen of the dead, sending a rain of offal confetti to shower those who took their place. The giant of a captain used his bare hand to crush the skull of another who crept up from behind while waving his sword to stave off those who advanced from the front.

On all sides his men had disappeared, some returning to the curse of living death to face their former captain.

With a frown he cut down his own men without mercy, decimating their ranks alone.

Iba fought nearby, his own troops leading a valiant fight to reclaim the ground that was lost, but the scores of the dead still flooding through the gate prevented such a victory for their forces. It seemed that even with reinforcements from all directions they stood at a severe numerical disadvantage. Even with their superior fighting strength, the greatest warriors fell under the weight of a wall of decaying flesh and gnashing teeth.

"Soi Fon! We cannot hold out much longer! Are you ready?"

From afar, Soi Fon's reply echoed throughout the mass grave of the battlefield, "Just a few more minutes!"

With a rumbling curse the lupine soldier fought on with greater determination, fiercely hacking away at the incoming horde, a battle cry which shook the earth bellowed from his fanged maw. The other troops lent their voices to the fray, a chorus of war to serenade the decisive battle against the dead.

The battle for humanity's future raged on in a maelstrom of unimaginable carnage.

The fate of all living things hanging in the balance...

Life?

Or Death?


	23. Life and Death IV

**Life and Death IV**

A symphony of sorrow woke her from her bitter dreams. Rukia lifted her head as high as she could and stared up at the two Kurosaki siblings, locked in a heartfelt embrace. A relieved smile crossed her lips as hope coursed through her veins, instilling the will to fight on.

The bullets that had rained down upon her left ruptured wounds across her back, preventing her from standing. She wished to cry out and speak with Ichigo as she used to, but her throat was hoarse.

Instead the resigned herself to watch as the two melted into each other and wept, drowning their sins, agony and sorrow in the comforting presence of the other.

_There will be a future for us all...A destiny to be carved by our own hands. We need no hand of God when we have ourselves! Together we will shape a new world and bring the light back to this darkened place. Even if it kills us, we will make the sun rise for another day!_

* * *

"Fight on! We are the sword to protect the living from the dead! We shall carve a path for mankind to follow!" Kommamura's great roar echoed across the battlefield, rising over the chorus of screams and cries from the brave shinigami who fell against the grey tide.

His giant frame and sword stood out amongst the mountain of corpses, the blood drenched through his coarse fur and painted slick upon his blade serving as a decoration, a beacon for the living to keep fighting. Over the din he continued to encourage those who survived, "Stand tall! Stand forever strong against this accursed horde! The living will survive and the dead shall dead remain!"

More screams. A rumbling murmur from the dead, a grating snarl rising in volume as more and more ghouls flooded the gates like the maggots festering upon their rotting flesh.

The battle raged on, even as the bravest of warriors succumbed.

Iba cut down a swathe of the shambling corpses, his blade slicing through their skulls as a knife through water. As the bodies piled up around him his energy drained, the fervour of his attack slipping away as the hours dragged on. Even when his katana grew too heavy, he drew a tanto from his coat, using the smaller blade against the foe.

Soaked in gore and filth he fought on, even as they tore through his flesh with their decayed black fangs. Even as their pus-drenched lips closed over the wounds, spreading their disease, he cut them down. He let out a defiant roar to his very last, a request to those who fought beside him.

Ikkaku Madarame heard the call and with a heavy heart and stone-faced smile rushed to his comrade's side.

Decimating the ring of ghouls around him and clearing a path, Ikkaku glanced down at his long-time friend.

"Ha!" Iba snorted, "I knew it would be you..."

Ikkaku pointed his sword at him and grinned, "Looks like our days of fighting will finally come to an end. Does this mean I win?"

"No," Iba groaned, the virus spreading through his veins, blue vines sprouting on his cheeks, "It means you got lucky, you son of a bitch!" He tried to laugh, only to cough up blood.

The dead began to close in once again.

Ikkaku bowed to his friend and leapt high into the air.

Iba let out a dry, painful chuckle, "Be glad...For once you get to take the high ground..."

Just as his eyes closed and his heart shut down, Ikkaku's sword sliced through the top of his skull, cleaving through bone and making mincemeat of his brain. Drawing the blade free, coated in grey matter and gibbets of flesh, Iba's body flopped to one side. Dead, but never to turn.

An honourable death.

A growl from behind. The gnashing of deformed jaws. The cold stare of hungry eyes, blank as frosted glass yet all too expressive of their thirst for blood.

Ikkaku glared at them, the hungry dead that had robbed him of his captain, his friends and his comrades. His life had been destroyed, all by the hungry dead. It was their fault, all of it. They would pay!

With a fierce battle cry Ikkaku rushed into their ranks, using his own weight to barrel through them and make his way to the centre, then with arms outstretched spun in a wild circle, his blade slicing through flesh on one side, scabbard breaking bones and shattering skulls on the other. Whirling about in wide arcs he broke them down on all sides leaving nothing but human debris in his wake.

Unfortunately, not all who had been downed were slain.

Preoccupied with those still on their feet and too drunk on his own rage, Ikkaku never noticed them slithering around his feet, sinking their teeth in and taking away chunks of meat, exposing bone to the open air.

With a piercing cry Ikkaku collapsed to the ground, furiously swatting away the ghouls that crawled over him. Drowning under an ocean of red and grey, he screamed and screamed, his voice carrying to the others even to the final strangled gasp before his throat was torn away. His head hung to one side, eyes blank as leathery hands probed at his stomach, jagged and broken nails digging through layers of skin and fat to reach the delicacies locked within.

As the swarm fought over their meal the body was strung up, innards spilling out into the cupped hands of the beggars below, crawling on cracked and broken limbs to reach their prey. An arm disappeared into the crowd, a leg stripped to the bone, bleached white in the light of the sun. One cheek torn away exposing gums and gristle. An eye rolling from its socket, jangling almost comically as the body was shaken like a ragdoll. The unholy prize in a game of tug-of-war.

"Damn it! Soi Fon?! We cannot hold! Hurry!" Kommamura roared over the chaos, trying to spur on the dwindling numbers of troops.

A loud whistle pierced the air and alerted those still locked in battle. It was the signal they had been waiting for. Kommamura bellowed through aching lungs, "RETREAT!"

The shinigami flash stepped out of sight, or at least those that could. Not all escaped with their lives. Some tried to flee, running as fast as they could, only to be snagged on human thorns and dragged back to their doom. Others remained trapped, unable to escape, resigning themselves to death, fighting on to the very last breath.

Though the front flanks began to divide in search of the missing prey, the vast majority remained around the gateway, shuffling aimlessly, content with their feast thus far.

Soi Fon stood some distance away, a mighty weapon held in her hands, a solid mass of steel glowing with otherworldly light, aimed directly at the undead horde. The exhausted captain lined up her shot and shouted to her foe, "Bankai! Jakuho Raikoben!"

A golden missile soared across the barren battlefield, a piercing whine as the fins sliced through the air. A dense mist formed around its head, the air torn apart by its rapid flight. The dead barely gave the incoming missile a second glance, more interested in flesh and blood.

A mighty explosion rocked the very earth as the horde vanished behind thirsty tongues of flame which towered to the sky. An orange haze hung over the battlefield amidst the hiss of falling debris, some of it borne of skin and bone. A burning pit of death and destruction emanating from the blast zone, blackened skeletons and oceans of boiled blood now all that was left of the swarm.

A triumphant cry billowed out from the remaining shinigami at the gate, now returning to the front-line to dispatch those who had managed to escape the explosion.

Captain Kommamura thrust his sword to the heavens and roared, "Bankai, Kokujo Tengen Myo-o!"

From the earth arose a golem of immense size. A giant to stand with his head among the clouds. Following the movements of the captain's hands, the giant seized the gate and dragged it into place once more, shutting out the rest of the undead horde. Even as the gate slid into place in the crater left by Soi Fon's bankai, the gate still towered over them all, almost as tall as Kommamura's golem.

Sealing the great weapons, the two captains joined the remaining troops on the battlefield to slay the last of the undead who had dared to enter Sereitei.

With only a threadbare number of stragglers, the dead stood no chance and were efficiently destroyed.

And when at last the undead had been purged from Sereitei, songs of victory rang out amongst all those present. Triumphant roars and exultant cries melded together in a chorus of well-earned joy. A cease to the bitter struggle for existence, at least for now.

Those that remained had survived to fight another day and that was victory enough.

The battle had been won on the frontlines, even as the chaos continued deep within the heart of Soul Society. But with the main force subdued the faint flicker of hope within each man's heart grew far stronger. No longer a flicker, but a radiant glow ready to be seized...

The future awaited those who had survived the massacre but in the moments of peace came the grim task of burying the dead and honouring the brave souls who had fallen.

* * *

The songs of victory reached Ukitake's ears even while locked underground with his worst enemy, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, swords locked together amid rains of sparks. The captain commander's eyes flickered with relief at the sound and a suitable expression of disgust afflicted the madman's deformed face.

"Hear that Mayuri? We've conquered your 'trials' and beaten back the undead! Your army is in ruins and you are also reaching your limit. Quit this stupid game of yours and end this madness!"

"Never!" Mayuri spat, "I still have my Adam. With a suitable Eve I can still-"

"It's over, Mayuri."

Both men turned to see Ichigo descend into the laboratory, a bullet-hole in his chest and a fiercely determined scowl on his face.

"Kurosaki!"

Ichigo shook his head, "I'm not your toy. You can't just play with human lives and call yourself god!"

With a grinding curse Mayuri escaped from the deadlock and backed up into a corner, eyeing his rebellious specimen. With the other ace up his sleeve now subdued it seemed there really was little left to salvage his mission. But surrender was not an option and neither was defeat.

Besides...There was still one last card to play...

All or nothing...

Mayuri unleashed a kido blast aimed directly at the ground at his opponent's feet and in the ensuing cloud of dust and debris vanished with his well-honed shunpo. Ichigo hadn't even registered Mayuri's presence until the needle was embedded deep in his arm.

A flood of viscous red flowed into the chamber of the syringe and in the moment of Ichigo's attempts to swat him away, Mayuri jumped backwards, landing with the syringe now poised above his own arm.

"Argh! What was that?!" Ichigo snapped irritably, staring between the madman and the oozing wound on his forearm.

Mayuri laughed, a raspy crackling howl that echoed throughout the chamber. With eyes alight as fire and a fiendish grin on his lipless face, Mayuri appeared more terrifying than ever.

"You think you've destroyed my last supply of the virus after blowing up that vial don't you? How foolish! You think I would only store one flask of something so precious?!" His smile then became hideous, a mockery of the expression, "Why carry vials of it when I can have it on-tap at my own behest?"

Ukitake's gaze drifted to the Kurosaki boy. "You don't mean...?"

"The most perfectly crafted strain of the virus flows freely through that child's veins! His very blood is the essence with which to reshape this world and its pathetic species! I did not designate him the Adam of the new world without good reason. It is because he is blood of the perfect being. The Kuchiki girl, she was to be his Eve, the flesh to inherit his seed, to create a new race borne through their combined flesh and blood. Their offspring would have been immortal, as close to gods as is humanly possible. Beings of such transcendent power, to rebuild this world run by the weak!"

Ichigo's eyes widened in shock, "You mean...As long as I'm alive the virus can still spread?"

Mayuri's eyes glinted like sharpened steel, "Naturally. My plan was to have woken you both together in a healthy state and left you alone. I've observed the bond you shared as you fought against my creations. If you had found each other alive and healthy after your preconceived deaths, passions would have naturally ignited. It wouldn't have taken long for mating to occur and thus the next generation of mankind would be born!"

"You sick bastard! I'll kill you!" Ichigo roared, barely managing to restrain himself. Ukitake held him back with a hand to the shoulder, a signal to stay sharp.

Mayuri sighed, "Unfortunately, the Kuchiki girl lacked a certain essence when I resurrected her. Her mind was too strong. I needed her mind and spirit to be more malleable with which to mould her into a fitting mother of the greater species. Defiant to the last I disposed of her, but I must say she's managed well to crawl back to the heavens to face me. And so too do you defy me, Kurosaki. But thankfully you managed to complete your final mission before your mutiny. You've put that Kuchiki girl and the American out of my mind. For that I give my thanks."

"You son of a-"

"Ichigo!" Ukitake held him back, his voice calm as the ocean. Turning back to the foe he addressed him in a cold tone, "Mayuri...What are you going to do with that needle?"

The madman smirked, "Oh this? Well you should be aware of the effects of the virus by now. This perfected strain grants it's host's enhanced physical abilities, strengthening the body while also limiting the neural response to external phenomena. In short, by sealing off the nervous system all of the body's energy is expended elsewhere, thus heightening speed, strength and agility. By sacrificing unnecessary body functions the core mechanics of survival are concentrated and bolstered by the virus."

Ukitake frowned, concerned at the implications of the explanation.

"You always said I was the weakest fighter amongst the captains didn't you Ukitake? But I wonder..." Before they could act, the needle burrowed deep into a throbbing vein on his arm, the plunger dropping, the chamber emptying of blood leaving only sickly residue inside the transparent plastic. With a grating laugh, Mayuri threw his head back and howled.

Vines of blue sprouted within the patches of painted white flesh, veins bulging and protruding as Ichigo's infected blood coursed through him, spreading the poison. All traces of his spiritual pressure dropped and then vanished.

The laughter ceased, as did all movements across his mutilated body. He rocked forward and collapsed.

Dead.

Hesitant, Ukitake stepped forward, standing over the body with a sad frown. "It killed kim?" he looked back to Ichigo, his inquisitive stare asking for some kind of explanation. From his own stupefied expression it was clear that neither understood the sudden turn of events. Mayuri had been so confident and yet he succumbed instantly to his own poison. The two stood stunned in the wreckage of the laboratory struggling to come to grips with Mayuri's odd demise.

Then he felt it, a cold hand grasping his leg, bony fingers winding around like coiled serpents. With unnatural strength he was dragged down to the ground, brought face to face with the monster.

Death was only the beginning of something far more terrifying...A sudden end to bring about a new beginning...The next nightmare, the next trial for humanity's future...

A dry rasping laugh streamed from his cruel smile, drifting as mist toward the others. Mayuri's eyes no longer shone with murderous glee or voracious loathing. There was no colour at all.

Just empty soulless grey...

* * *

Where are you guys? I'm wandering around in the dark without any reviews. It's helps a great to deal to know what you readers think so please review!


	24. Life and Death V

**Life and Death V**

A scream billowed out from the Research and Development facility. A lingering wail of unbridled terror stretching on into the cold breeze outside. Rukia craned her neck to see the entrance to the facility, but there was nothing to see from her vantage point. The unspoken horrors beneath the ground were far from her knowledge. All she could do was lie there and imagine the nightmares her friends were living through in the darkness below.

Karin, who had been softly weeping beside her suddenly rose to her feet and with trembling steps approached the entrance. Rukia could see the trepidation in the younger girl's unstable footing and uneven gait. As much as it frightened her, Karin wished to stand by her brother's side.

Rukia felt a slight tinge of jealousy, being unable to move. She too desired to fight along with Ichigo, but the bullets seething within her flesh betrayed her wishes, keeping her trapped on the ground. Without being able to physically protect them, she silently prayed for their safety as another scream rattled out from deep underground.

* * *

Mist poured from Mayuri's lipless mouth, hanging open in a silent yawn. Eyes clouded over like cataracts stared blankly at the two stunned warriors before him. For a moment he seemed to ponder his next move, taking in the sights and sounds all at once. Slowly his hand receded from Ukitake's ankle, allowing him to jump out of the way and return to Ichigo's side a safe distance away from the maniacal fiend they faced.

"What the...What in the world just happened?"

Ichigo took a deep gulp of air and stared at the beast, "I don't know, but it can't be good."

"It's your blood isn't it? You should know what it does since you're the patient zero for this strain!"

"I don't feel any different. Aside from being played like a fool I don't feel any different from before I...Well before I 'died'."

Ukitake nodded gravely and cast a glance toward the stairs. "We should leave. Now."

Ichigo gave his assent and together they made a break for the exit.

A blur of movement, a flash of white before their eyes. Suddenly Mayuri was standing before them, blocking the stairway, a devilish grin on his face. Ichigo charged at him, letting out a mighty roar. With his sword poised to kill he lunged at the demonic scientist. Mayuri danced around the attack, gliding past the blade and stepping within Ichigo's range. Drawing his hand back with amazing speed he plunged his bare hand into the boy's stomach, the force sending him wheeling backwards into the mountain of debris.

Capitalising on the distraction Ukitake ducked in from behind slicing in a downward arc. Mayuri shuffled aside and grabbed the captain commander by the throat, lifting him up off his feet and then slamming him down into the ground with a deafening thud.

Ichigo once again charged in but was once again beaten back without effort from the beastly traitor.

A rasping chuckle emanated from his spittle-flecked grin, "Marvellous! Such strength! To be able to take down both Kurosaki Ichigo and even Ukitake! This is incredible! I cannot believe you fools would squander your chances to attain such power!"

Ukitake wiped blood from his lips and cursed, "If such power comes at the cost of innocent lives then I could never wield it! A weapon used without meaning is far weaker than the weapon used for justice!"

Mayuri laughed at that, throwing his head back and howling to the sky somewhere above their underground prison, "Your foolish idealism was always your greatest weakness! It takes a greater mind to possess the strength of a god!"

"Placing mankind on a leash does not make you a god Mayuri! Your reign of terror is over!"

"So says the man who must hold up the walls of his castle with his bare hands! Your kingdom lies in ruins and you still defy me? Such insolence can never be forgiven."

"My kingdom is in ruins? Look around you Mayuri! Your army is defeated, your prized experiments turned against you and your precious toys running out. Can you not comprehend defeat even as your pathetic kingdom built on bloodshed and lies burns down around you?!"

Once again, a laugh from the wicked madman. "A small victory is not enough to impede progress. There are plenty of undead soldiers in this world and the next, bountiful legions across the world willing to obey my rule in exchange for some fresh meat! And now that the virus courses through my veins I can procure it at any given time to spread the disease! All I have to do is kill you interloping fools and the world will fall right into my hand."

Ichigo tightened his grip on his sword and affirmed his offensive stance. "Then I'll just have to defeat you and get this all over with!"

"Face my wrath insolent child! I shall unleash my divine punishment upon you for acting against the word of your god. Such is the inevitable fate of Adam it seems..."

With a defiant roar Ichigo raced off with his sword raised high. Lunging at his foe he feigned a downward slash, allowing Mayuri to once again narrowly dodge with his otherworldly gliding. Then as Mayuri moved to the side Ichigo spun on his heel and kicked out, driving his foot deep into the madman's gut.

Caught off-guard Mayuri stumbled right into Ukitake who thrust his sword up through his stomach to erupt in a shower of blood out of his back. The sheer force of the blow lifted Mayuri up off his feet from where Ukitake left him to drop in a heap.

Rather than let him rest Ukitake aimed his palm out towards the crumpled heap and fired off several blasts of kido letting the nefarious traitor burn for his crimes.

From within the smouldering wreckage a seething rasp of laughter echoed out. A molten hand stretched out and clawed at the earth, dragging the singed corpse along with it. Even as the flames devoured his flesh, Mayuri rose back up to his feet, still smiling.

"A clever tactic I must say. But you seem to have forgotten something Ukitake. You never listened to me, even when you relied upon me the most. Surely you recall what I told you about the walking dead?"

"When the dead are reanimated they cease to be a spiritual entity and thus cannot be harmed by spiritual weapons. The same can be said for kido." the words were spat with venom, dealt with a sinister grin.

Upon closer inspection, the searing red flames had little effect on the ghoul, simply lighting him up and nothing more. Ukitake cursed and grit his teeth understanding fully well the gravity behind the doctor's words.

He had just squandered their chance to take down Mayuri for good. Their tactics may have worked, but Mayuri was never one to fall for the same trick twice. He would have already calculated a way around it if they tried the same thing once again.

There were only so many chances left.

Time was running out.

"Ichigo...We have to end this quickly."

Ichigo nodded and reaffirmed his grip on his sword. He shared a knowing glance with the older warrior and the two charged in unison, taking opposing sides. While Ukitake rushed in from the left, Ichigo struck from the right, narrowing Mayuri's options and rendering him unable to defend against the two of them at once. He could only guard against one of them, leaving the other side open for attack.

Mayuri simply grinned at their incoming onslaught and switched his attention to Ichigo.

With blinding speed he swatted away the young man's sword and pushed him in the path of himself and Ukitake, forcing the captain commander to come to a grinding halt. In the confusion Mayuri then shoved Ichigo aside and lunged at the older foe, burying the overgrown talon on his left hand right through Ukitake's chest, well off centre.

Ukitake collapsed immediately and coughed violently, blood flecking his lips. He made to move but was instantly brought to his knees by the crippling pain.

With only Ichigo left to oppose him, Mayuri was free to focus his entire being upon the defiant young warrior. He feigned an offensive to lure Ichigo into a counter-attack and then saddled up behind him, jabbing his finger into Ichigo's side.

Both combatants fell and Mayuri proudly stood over them, malicious laughter dripping from his jaws.

"How does it feel? Do you now understand the price of your betrayal?"

Ichigo curled up in agony and cursed, "Argh! Fuck! What did you do to me!?"

Mayuri grinned menacingly at the ever present pain in his victim's glares. "Have you ever heard of pressure points? By striking certain nerves one can bring even the strongest of opponents to their knees. With one press of a finger you can kill a man! However I am merciful enough to simply have you bowing at my feet. You see, Kurosaki, within your brain, a message has been received that your stomach and intestines have been damaged and yet I haven't even pierced your flesh. In fact where I struck was far from your stomach and intestines. Regardless, the associated nerves have been crippled, fooling your brain into believing you've suffered severe internal damage."

Ichigo's movements slowed and he began to weaken.

"Your blood pressure shall drop until your brain cannot sufficiently function and you shall fall unconscious. As for your friend over there, I'm afraid I wasn't as gentle. You see rather than play around with pressure points, I simply punctured his lung. With the captain commander's lung disease, such an injury will surely be fatal."

"Bastard!" Ukitake rasped, his breaths coming in painful wheezes.

"Save your breath Ukitake, trust me you'll need it. As you become more flustered you use up more of your Oxygen. With a pierced lung you cannot reserve enough Oxygen for respiration and in time you will suffocate and die! It is over Ukitake! Even if by some miracle you could take my life your fate is sealed!"

A faint light of hope appeared in his eyes, but it only brought a sick smile to Mayuri's face.

"However, in your condition the very act of standing up and moving towards me will expend most of your remaining air. In your state you wouldn't even be able to get within striking distance before collapsing. Of course that would be if you were a healthy person. With your shrivelled diseased lungs you won't even be able to stand! You will die bowing to your god!"

Mayuri cackled insanely.

"Your futile struggle is over. I applaud you for coming this far and even managing to repel the horde, but inevitably your kind were born to die. Extinction is only the precursor to evolution. As one inferior being disappears, from their ashes grows more advanced life. Mankind was promising, but the next species shall be superb! If only your childish ideals hadn't chained you to the sinking ship of man you could have shared in this glory and led the way to a brighter future. You have lost your chance Kurosaki, but be glad that your blood shall be the fuel to ignite the spark of life!"

"Shut up dammit!" Ichigo snarled, pushing himself shakily to his feet. With one hand to his stomach and one on his sword, he slowly rose and stood against this foe. His knees were shaking and his vision was unclear, but he could still stand.

He could still fight!

Ukitake struggled to breath. Unable to intervene he watched on as Mayuri's own devilish creation remained as the last stand of mankind against his monstrous plan. Silently he prayed for the child's success...

Time seemed to crawl to a halt as the two foes stared down one another, searching for every possible weakness, consciously manoeuvring around their own. Ichigo may have still been standing, but he would not be able to fight on much longer. The next bout would surely decide the victor.

Mayuri grinned confident that all possible routes lead to his advantage.

This time Mayuri charged, catching Ichigo off-guard. Landing within striking distance before he could even widen his eyes, the nefarious doctor drew back his hand and prepared to strike. Helpless to resist, Ichigo stared down at his defenceless self as time slowed further until it had stopped completely.

This was it, the finishing blow. The decisive end to their battle, the end of mankind.

But mankind fought back!

'Boom!'

Several of Mayuri's front teeth shattered behind a gushing torrent of blood. Smoke billowed out from the hole in his jaw and with widened eyes Mayuri froze mid-strike and fell back.

"Ichi-ni..." she whimpered.

Ichigo glanced up to his sister, still holding the smoking pistol in her white-knuckled hands. He then clenched harder upon the hilt of his sword and sliced down through Mayuri's shoulder, severing his left arm. Before the ghoul could react he then pierced the demonic ghoul through his non-existent heart before rending the blade aside, to erupt out through his ribs.

Blood poured from the decimated ghoul but even in his state, his smile was ever present.

Ichigo grit his teeth and raised his sword for the final blow, but Mayuri was far quicker, slamming the palm of his one remaining hand directly into the boy's knee. With a bone-breaking 'crack' Ichigo collapsed to the ground, dropping his sword in favour of clutching his shattered knee.

"Ichigo!" Karin cried, already taking aim again. She had missed the brain with her first shot, aiming too low leaving the bullet to simply carve its way through his bottom jaw. But in her panic her hands were shaking. She couldn't line up the sight no matter how hard she tried.

Fortunately, Mayuri didn't seem to be bothered by her at all, fumbling through his coat instead. He procured a needle of some sort and dug it into his stomach. Remarkably, the gaping bullet-wound at the base of his skull closed itself up until not a trace of the wound remained. When he turned around, Karin let out a shrill scream at the perfectly chiselled grin of the madman.

"That was the last of my regenerative elixir. How fortunate that at the very least I've got nothing left standing in my way. Except for you, young lady..." his eyes drifted across her slender, blood-spattered form and his smile spread to consume his entire face. "You are an incredible specimen, taking after your brother well. It would seem that though Ichigo has expended his usefulness, there could be much to gain from his darling little sister!"

Ichigo crawled toward his sword but the doctor kicked it far across the room and then booted the young warrior in the ribs, leaving him gasping for air.

Calmly, Mayuri strolled towards her, unperturbed by the pistol in her hands. Besides, Karin was trembling so much that he could plainly see the gun barrel wobbling.

It all happened in a blur. Mayuri pounced, restraining the girl. Ichigo cried out but failed to stand and Ukitake pushed himself up and bolted for his foe. Before anything could register in any of their minds, there was blood, screaming, agony, death.

And then there was silence...

* * *

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	25. Sacrifice

**Sacrifice**

There had been screams from down below, but suddenly they ceased. Rukia crawled inside the Research and Development facility and spotted the secret entrance to Mayuri's underground laboratory. She had managed to staunch the blood flow from her wounds, but the pain was ever present, crippling and blinding, it forced her to intermittently stop and curl up, clenching her fists and gritting her teeth as the agony intensified. Nonetheless she soldiered on, crawling onwards regardless of the pain surging through her body.

She reached the edge of the stairs and glanced down into the darkness beyond. She could see freshly spilled blood upon the stairs near the bottom, seeping through the cracks and soaking through into grisly stains.

Her heart stopped beating for a moment, fearing the worst in that unsettling silence.

She almost wished there were more screams coming from inside, at least to confirm her friends were alive. However not a sound emanated from inside that room. There was only one way to be sure.

With dreadful slowness she began her descent into Hell.

* * *

Alice awoke all alone outside. The deep gash in her stomach had somewhat been covered, though she wasn't sure how. A wound like that shouldn't heal that fast. Even with treatment she couldn't have possibly recovered so soon. On closer inspection it seemed the jagged skin around the wound had been cauterised, closing the worst of it and leaving only an ugly yet smaller cut to deal with. Unfortunately her internal injuries weren't getting any better.

Ichigo's sword had pierced pretty deep and caused much damage. At the very least she had been unconscious for the worst of the pain and of course the cauterisation. She wished to thank whoever had done it, but all that surrounded her was the blood splattered against the stone tiled path.

A trail of dark crimson led inside the large building just ahead, most likely the laboratories of that murderous Mayuri Kurotsuchi. She expected to hear noises inside, but it was ghostly quiet.

Curious, she stumbled over, falling many times. It was painful and incredibly difficult, but with all the effort she could muster she pushed forward inside the den of the damned.

* * *

Not long before Mayuri had lunged at Karin Kurosaki, a fiendish flicker in his lidless eyes. Red spittle flecked his hideous grin, a devilish laugh rattling out of his cold dead lungs. Karin herself barely saw him move, his movements so terribly fast they were almost untraceable. She only managed a scream when his shadow fell across her from behind and his feral breath seeped into her nostrils, reeking of rotting flesh.

It was the same stench as them. Those mindless shambling ghouls she had been fighting for so very long now.

But it seemed her battles would come to an end. Their greatest enemy had her in his grip, serpentine fingers coiling around her arms and holding her in place. His icy breath brushed against the nape of her neck, his jaws lingering bare centimetres from her face.

In a voice like the hiss of a thousand snakes he whispered, "You shall be the eve of my new world. But first I wish to taste a sample from such a wonderful subject!"

His tongue traced a line from her shoulder and up the side of her neck, rolling off and disappearing back inside his cavernous maw.

Ichigo rushed to his sister's aid, but his body refused to comply, sending him hurtling to the ground, unable to do anything but watch on hopelessly as his precious sister's life was robbed, much like everything else in his life.

Mayuri's fangs sank deep into Karin's throat, the young girl's eyes shooting wide open, pupils dilating to mere pin pricks at the nightmarish sensation. Her jaw dropped open in a silent scream, muffled by the blood bubbling up at the base of her throat. Her legs went limp but she did not fall, embraced by the detestable doctor.

"Karin!" Ichigo screamed, extending a hand out to her.

The frightened young girl did the same reaching out to her brother to save her and protect her as he always had done.

Their hands never touched.

With a defiant roar, the crippled captain commander charged up behind Mayuri and buried his sword into the demon's side. Biting his tongue to stave off the searing agony, Ukitake pushed harder, steel slicing through flesh and bone until it reached the beast's spine. With another push the blade hacked through the brittle spine and exploded out the other side in an eruption of blood.

Exhausting the very last of his efforts, Ukitake fell to his knees and then keeled over in almost perfect unison with Mayuri's lower half.

Detached from the waist down, Mayuri's upper half remained attached to the Kurosaki girl, but with so much weight against the smaller girl they both collapsed into the rubble. His teeth emerged from the raw, torn flesh on her throat, dripping wet with her precious, pure blood. As salt in the wound he turned to Ichigo and flashed his sinister grin, now painted in his sister's blood.

Unable to contain his rage Ichigo rose to his feet, even as scarlet-flecked bile seeped through his clenched teeth. Even as his body urged him to back down, Ichigo staggered over on trembling limbs, collecting his sword and clenching it so hard his bones were grinding against the hilt. A rumbling snarl grew within his lungs and at last in an unholy surge of blazing fury the young warrior passed over the precipice.

He roared as loud as the rolling thunder of the heavens, hacking apart what remained of Mayuri Kurotsuchi, first severing his limbs and them carving up his midsection, all the while the defenceless demon smiled and laughed, cackling insanely.

Spurred on by his taunts, Ichigo pulverised the despicable ghoul, leaving the head unscathed. He grabbed it by its blue hair and lifted it up to his face, glaring deep into those lidless eyes, meeting his piercing stare with one of equally intimidating presence.

"So..." it rasped, even as the suppurating strands of muscle and tissue around his throat gushed forth their toxic elixir. "Adam...once fallen from grace...has risen to challenge his God...But can you pass the final test?"

Ichigo withheld the raging desire to crush the head in his hands to hear out his final words.

Mayuri's left eye rolled to one side, falling off-centre while the other probed that of his foe. His facial muscles were beginning to slacken, wiping the smile from his face, but the joy in his voice sought to account for it.

"Though my body may be destroyed...My blood, once yours, now runs through her veins...And so...If you truly wish to slay your God...Then you must sacrifice your only sister! Only then shall I grant thee mercy!"

Mayuri died laughing, his viciously smiling face cleaved in two.

At long last Ichigo collapsed beside his sister and held her close. Though he wanted to scream once again his voice failed him and so in silence he cradled the last treasure from his home, now claimed by the darkness.

* * *

From the Western rampart, Kiyone froze mid-sentence. She had been delivering orders to her troops ever since the undead had been eradicated and sealed off outside the wall. She had received reports that her sister Isane was injured but in a stable condition. She was on her way to see her, sending off the last of her men.

That's when she felt it.

The captain commander, Jushiro Ukitake...

His reiatsu vanished.

The words died in her throat as her eyes went wide in shock. Trembling, she turned in the direction of the laboratory and focused as hard as she could, praying that it had simply dwindled, not disappeared entirely.

Alas her efforts were in vain. There was no trace.

The captain commander was dead.

"No...No it can't be..."

She ignored her troops, ignored her sister and her duty, and ran to the laboratory as fast as she possibly could.

Meanwhile, all over Soul Society heads were bowed in grief at the tragic news. The songs of victory that had previously echoed across the entire court instantly died down as the cost of their success became apparent.

Though the undead had been repelled and Mayuri defeated, they had lost many brave warriors, no less than their commander. A heavy burden would forever weigh down upon those that had survived...But at the very least, the sun would rise for mankind once again...

* * *

Ichigo sobbed as his sister drained of warmth. Turning as cold as the dead, her last breath of life, her final whisper blew against his cheek.

"I'm scared..."

Her hands coiled around his body but barely held, settling like fallen leaves. Her blood seeped through his clothes and skin, running down the length of his arms and covering him head to toe. Bathed in her blood the young man cried as the last of his family were taken away.

The hollow victory left him with a greater trial to overcome.

After a few minutes of quiet mourning, he felt her tiny body stirring once again. He glanced down through clouded eyes at her hands now a marbled grey, the network of black veins slithering about beneath the surface. He knew the signs well enough, having lived through the very same nightmare ever since that plane first crashed by the riverbank back home. And ever since that fateful day the poison had seeped through ever crack in Ichigo's life.

Friends, family, neighbours. His town, his country, his entire world, all tainted by the pestilence Mayuri spread.

Karin was his lifeline. Where everything else had vanished she remained. When Mayuri had performed his experiments on him, Ichigo had long since given up hope. He bought every single word of his lies, simply because he had no will to refute it. Why bother when everyone you ever loved was dead? But he let Mayuri deceive him far too much. So much so that even when the last of his company faced him once again, he was unable to do anything but attack. He grappled with the decision and struggled to conquer his manipulated mind. It was Karin that brought him back, once again.

It was her presence and her unshaken belief in him that brought Ichigo to see the error of his ways and stand against Mayuri.

But now it had cost him dearly. His very own infected blood; the source of Mayuri's strength, now flowed through those blackened veins crawling under his sister's skin. Those blank white eyes were his fault. The discoloured, rotting flesh around her throat was all his fault. The ghostly chill emanating from her corpse was his fault.

All of this was his fault.

His second chance at life was simply to bear the burden of the apocalypse alone.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered as gently as the sigh of the wind, unable to raise his voice. He embraced her; let her dig her teeth into his shoulder, knowing it would not turn him. He grit his teeth and repeated his apology over and over as a mantra as if it would absolve himself of the pain and heartache.

Karin drew back with strips of tattered flesh flailing about between her teeth, tainted blood flowing down her cracked lips.

"I'm sorry..."

"Ichigo!"

"Karin!"

Rukia's voice came from the stairway, soon joined by Alice. Together they assembled at the bottom of the stairs, staring in terrified awe at the scene before them. A grim bloodbath, corpses buried under rubble, scattered flesh and bone. The aftermath of a terrible battle.

And amidst it all, the frightened Kurosaki siblings embracing.

But then Karin turned to them and snarled.

"Oh my god! Ichigo what are you doing?!"

"Stop her!"

"Don't touch her!" Ichigo roared, glaring at them both with eyes ablaze.

Karin growled and set her gaze upon her brother once more.

"Ichigo you have to..." Rukia caught herself before finishing. Averting her gaze she came up with an alternative. "You have to stop her before it's too late!"

"It's already too late." Ichigo said coldly.

"Dammit Ichigo! If you don't kill her then I will!" Alice stepped forward and picked up the pistol Karin had dropped earlier. She aimed straight for Karin's sinister smile.

"If you shoot her I will fucking kill you!" Ichigo snapped, shielding her from Alice's sights.

"How can you protect her like this Ichigo? You know damn well that she never wanted to turn into one of those things! We all agreed that the minute we turn we would spare them the disgrace of becoming a monster!"

"Don't call my sister a monster!"

"Look at her! That thing isn't your little sister anymore! It's just another one of those ghouls and all it wants is a taste of your flesh!"

"You're wrong-"

"Ichigo! Your sister never wanted to hurt you! Even when you were set upon killing us she refused to be afraid and pull the trigger. She loved you. Do you honestly think your little sister would chew on your face and kill you? I know her well enough to say that's a load of bullshit! You're her brother aren't you? If I know better, then you should be well aware of all this!"

"But I can't..."

"Ichigo, why did you kill Yuzu and your father?" this time Rukia spoke, her words like daggers. He was left speechless. "You did it to protect them...To protect them from something worse than death...And that is the fear of losing yourself. No matter how much is taken from you, as long as you have that which makes you who you are, there is always hope...But if you lose even the essence that makes you who you are...That makes you _human_...then there is truly nothing..."

Ichigo bowed his head, holding Karin at an arms distance while she feebly struggled to get closer and sink her fangs into him once again.

"Ichigo...If you love your sister like I know you do...You will do the right thing and give her the mercy she deserves."

Rukia's expression hardened into a mask of stone. Alice did the same, offering the gun to him.

Ichigo's shoulder sank and with a heaving sigh he glanced back up at them and nodded gravely. Taking the pistol, Ichigo pointed it squarely between her blank eyes. Karin stared inquisitively at the weapon, cocking her head in awe.

"I'm sorry..." he repeated one last time, before closing his eyes and pulling the trigger.


	26. Laid to Rest

**Laid to Rest**

He had relived the nightmare all over again. The very same nightmare that haunted every waking hour and bound him in his dreams. The night when the horrors first began. The night down by the river, with Rukia. The plane crash, the wounded and the dead, a terrifying sight even for those who have seen it before. The crowded clinic, his frightened siblings and father. He remembered the girl who warned him, Alice, the American girl who had tried to escape a fate worse than death only to have it follow her as her own shadow.

He remembered the bandages on his father's finger, the tooth he played with like a toy. The weight of the nightstand, heavier than he thought. The jarring crack as it crashed down upon his father's head, shattering his skull. The scream as Yuzu was attacked. The bloody act of mercy – so he said – The deafening gun-shot, the first of many, but the most frightening of all.

The night Ichigo's world was turned upside down.

The night he murdered his family...

He thought he could escape it, at least save Karin. He believed he could do that much at the very least. And yet there he stood with a gun in his hand, his beloved little sister in his sights.

_I'm so sorry...I messed up! I couldn't save Yuzu or dad...All I could do was stop them becoming like 'them'. All I could do was sit back and watch our family fall apart. _

_I couldn't save Chad or Orihime or Tatsuki...I couldn't protect them either! I let my friends die all around me, unable to do anything. I couldn't even protect myself! But I was given a second chance to find you and to save you. Why did I have to screw up again?!_

_I'm sorry Karin..._

_I may not have saved you from death. I may not have been there when you were crying at night, scared and alone. I may not have been able to tell you how I felt when I had the chance. I may have been a lousy brother long before this all began. I may not have spent enough time with you, like a real family should. _

_I may not have done any of that...But at the very least I can do this..._

_I can let you be with Mum and Dad and Yuzu._

_Happy ever after in the next life..._

_As a human._

_Not as a soldier, or a warrior. Not as a monster either. Just a girl. The girl you used to be. That's right! With this gun I'll turn back time and you can all be a family again. And this time I promise...When my time comes, I will come find you and I'll stay with you for as long as it takes, even if it's eternity..._

_I will stay by your side..._

_Until you can forgive me..._

These words remained in Ichigo's mind. No matter how much he wanted to say them, his body refused to allow it. His throat closed up, pained breaths billowing in and out with choked wheezes. Tears welled up in his eyes, making it hard to aim.

"I'm sorry..." he managed to whisper, as quiet as the sigh of the wind, only just loud enough for her to hear him. Her eyes narrowed and her head cocked to one side, no longer able to comprehend his broken heart.

Ichigo closed his eyes, but he saw the muzzle flash pierce the darkness in a blinding supernova of bright white light. The sound, like thunder had never seemed louder. The recoil knocked his arm aside and forced him to stumble, but he managed to stay on his feet, even as they shook like reeds in the breeze.

He could smell the smoke amidst the stench of death, suffocating him.

The taste of iron wet his lips, covering him from head to toe, feeling it dripping down over the course of his flesh, absorbing into his clothes and skin.

Ichigo opened his eyes and sank to his knees.

At long last his voice returned and so the boy screamed.

* * *

High atop Sokyoku hill, they gathered. At this highest point in all of Soul Society the whole of the Sereitei could be seen. Not only that, beyond the great walls down below, the putrid grey stain on the horizon remained. The ocean of animated corpses, lost without their master, once again fuelled only by hunger. For now they posed no threat, but they could not simply be ignored.

However the dead were the last thing on the minds of those gathered upon the sacred ground this day. Ichigo Kurosaki clutched Rukia's sleeve as he advanced, maintaining a mask of sombre contemplation. Rukia could feel the heat drain from Ichigo's fingers and noticed him falling out of step at times.

She said nothing about it, knowing full well she was doing the same.

Alice offered her support but was gently waved aside. She fell in step with the others once again and made her way to the crowd of shinigami already waiting near the edge of the cliff. All around them were candles, one for each loved one slain. Every friend, neighbour, squad-mate, sibling, son, daughter, husband, wife, mother and father. Every comrade and acquaintance and familiar face. All were to be remembered for their sacrifice.

Ichigo stared down at the unlit candle clenched tight in his fist and kneeled to place it alongside another. He silently bid farewell and rose to his feet beside his closest friends whom offered their support. Alice patted his back and said soothing things while Rukia embraced him and wept for the tragic loss of Karin Kurosaki. Together the trio shed their tears and consoled one another, for each of them had lost something with the death of the young girl.

Alice had lost a great friend. She had thought the child nothing more than a brat at first, but when they had been the last survivors from Karakura town they had grown close, sharing a bond akin to sisterhood. They faced the cruel and violent world together. Now Alice felt empty, the companion by her side no longer there.

Rukia had also been close to Karin. She was hesitant to approach her at first due to her existence as a shinigami but had slowly grown to know Karin, just as she had the rest of the Kurosaki family. She also owed the young girl for saving Ichigo and breaking the chains of servitude Mayuri had forced upon him. For bringing back the one she loved she owed her everything, but her debt now remained unpaid with her untimely departure.

And of course, Ichigo lost the final member of his family. Having let it all slip through his fingers now he was left alone. Of course he had friends, but the bond of family is precious, something Ichigo had only learned when it was too late. Now and forever in his dreams, Karin would appear alongside the rest of his family. They would all be smiling and waving, waiting for him to join them.

But now was not yet the time. There was much more left to do before Ichigo could reunite with his family. For now he had other vows to fulfil. He swore to protect more than just his family and while his friends remained he would be sure to defend them until the very end.

He cast a glance over to a candle larger than the rest, enshrouded in decorations and a wreath. Ichigo knew who it belonged to and closed his eyes as he bowed, honouring the courageous efforts of the man who had given his life to save everyone presently gathered on Sokyoku hill.

Former captain commander Jushiro Ukitake had fought to his very last breath to stop Mayuri and end his evil ambitions. He alone had shouldered the burden of the disaster and carried it to the very end. He had sacrificed his life to save Soul Society and all mankind in turn. Thanks to his efforts, the future of all living things remained. Just as the flowers will shoot up from the soil and bloom once again, man had been given the flicker of hope, the driving force to one day stand tall and live free once again.

The gathering remained on the hill until sunset, then in the fading light of day, just as the darkness threatened to swallow up the entire world, each and every candle was lit.

No matter where they stood, all across soul society, the vibrant flames burned on in the night. No matter how much the darkness devoured, it could not claim the candlelight. It was not only an homage to the dead, but a message of hope to all who had survived.

No matter how much we have taken away...No matter how much the shadows of death may claim...There will always be that flickering flame in the distance. There will always be something, no matter how small. And no matter how far away that flame may be, it is never out of reach.

We all yearn to feel the heat from those flames and so we struggle on, guided by it's burning light.

That is why mankind keeps on fighting.

That is why mankind will survive.

For this is only the beginning...

The time has come...

For the counter-attack.

_**END**_

* * *

Well, that's the end of that chapter, but as you may have guessed there is still more to come to round this zombie-slaying epic into a trilogy. But as it is the end of a story get ready for some sappy crap because I just have to say it. First of all, you read this far, so thank you so much. Whether you reviewed or not, you still stuck with this story and (hopefully) read both this and it's prequel in their entirety. For doing so I am overjoyed. I really hope you enjoyed it since that's one of my main reasons for writing. 

This story took over 30 months to write, of course a few of those months were just the breaks between chapters. But even with all that, those of you who tagged along on this journey, thanks. Every review was just another push forward and hopefully helped mold this into a better story. And now, after three years this part of the journey has reached it's end. But I hope to see you again in the final part of the 'World of the Living Dead' trilogy. 

Finally (I swear it's the end of this sappy tirade now) I just want to say thanks for reading.

And please don't forget to review!


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